Winter's Fire
by bloodlustw
Summary: Celeste is a girl who had big dreams. From the age of four, she always practiced figure skating. She loved every minute of it. But in just one afternoon in middle school, everything changed. From transferring school and meeting new people, her life changed. In losing the ability to do the one thing she loves, she loses hope. She would do anything just to skate again. KaoruXOC
1. Curiosity

__Welcome to my newest story! I'm a host hopper just like Kanako Kasugazaki! This time, obviously :), it's Kaoru's turn. I hope you enjoy the first chapter and more that is to come! Reviews will be appriciated :)

* * *

_You're not even worth a chance to figure out who is who. We have better things to do than hang out with a complete moron._

Celeste woke up with a start. Looking around frantically, she heard laughter surrounding her. She looked up at the reason for her head aching and saw her furious teacher. Clutching the ruler so tightly that it was shaking, she just told the groggy girl to go home. Having no complaints, she silently stood up. She picked up her notebook and bag and left the room. Walking down the bright, isolated hallway, she wiped away a couple of stray tears. Cursing under her breath, she entered a restroom. She walked over to the second sink and put her items down on the shelf below the mirror. She then turned on the sink and splashed her face with cold water. She kept muttering to herself how she was sick of being haunted. She hasn't had that dream in over a year. She can't figure out why it suddenly resurfaced. After she finished and dried her face off, she looked in the mirror. Her shoulder length, wavy, red hair was a complete mess. Her green eyes showed obvious signs for lack of sleep. She ruffled her hair out of frustration, making it even messier. Picking her things back up, she left the bathroom. As she made her way out of the large building, she kept her eyes on her feet. She didn't want to interact with bothersome girls. She groaned in annoyance right when she made it outside. The courtyard was never quiet. There were always mobs obsessing over the most ridiculous things. As quickly as she could, she pulled out her music player and put the headphones on. She raised the volume all the way so she could drown out the foolishness. Right when the music began, she felt at peace. Closing her tired eyes, she allowed her mind to wander. When she felt that she could actually have a decent afternoon, she bumped harshly into another. She barely stopped herself from falling, but her ear buds did fall out.

"Watch where you're going you idiot," a voice hissed at her.

She opened her eyes so that she could glare at the direction of the voice. The glare didn't last more than a split second. Shock took over her when she saw a pair of twins looking up at her. The one she knocked over was looking up at her confused while the other who kneeled down looked at her with a glare. She just froze as she watched the angered one help the other up. The one she knocked over reached over to touch her shoulder and ask of she was alright. When his hand was halfway to her, she bolted off.

* * *

"That was odd," Kaoru said as he brushed himself off.

Hikaru held onto his face and looked him over. While doing so he asked concerned, "are you okay?"

Smiling he answered, "I'm okay."

"Lobelia is just full of strange girls, isn't it Takashi?" Honey asked as he looked up at his cousin who blocked the sun rays for him.

"Hmm," he grunted with a nod.

"Come on you guys! Hurry up or it'll be too late! We have to save Haruhi! Don't forget how close she was to kissing that woman last time," Tamaki shouted at them from across the courtyard, putting great emphasis on kissing.

The others agreed and caught up to him. Kaoru tailed behind however. He noticed an abandoned notebook and picked it up. In assuming it belonged to the girl who bull rushed him, he kept hold of it. He was curious of why a random student at a different school would freak out like she did.

* * *

When Celeste believed she had enough of a heart attack for one day, another one hit her when she was finally calming down. She dumped her entire school bag on the cold, black floor. Her notebook was nowhere to be seen. She grasped onto her hair tightly once she figured out what probably happened. She wanted to go back to school to find it, but she couldn't get the nerve to take one step towards the double doors.

"Shit!" she exclaimed.

She punched the ice as hard as she could with her right hand. She immediately regretted it and held her throbbing hand tightly. She brought her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees. Continuously, she muttered to herself how the day couldn't get any worse. And then she fell asleep.

* * *

The next day at Ouran Academy, there was something different about Kaoru. Everyone looked at him puzzled. Even Hikaru was confused. He wasn't wearing his jacket. Even though they had plenty of them at their manor, he wasn't wearing one today. He didn't explain to anyone why though, no matter how curious his schoolmates became. He didn't act any differently though. When people did ask him he just blew it off like it was nothing. Before the regular guests showed up, someone the hosts have come to accept came first.

"Bossa Nova!" the twins cheered as he approached him.

"Hey uh, Kaoru. Is this yours?" he asked as he held out a jacket.

Feeling a bit disappointed, Kaoru asked, "how'd you find it?"

"Apparently my sister was using it as a blanket."

"Whoa!" Honey exclaimed, joining the trio. "You have a sister?"

"Yeah."

"Celeste Kasanoda. She's the one who ran into Kaoru yesterday," explained Kyoya, eyes and pen not leaving his notebook.

"She was out cold the rest of the day." Kasanoda said. "I don't think she knew you tried to help her."

"Okay," Kaoru simply answered.

"Why did you Kaoru?" Tamaki asked, making the group even bigger.

"It isn't like you to help a girl you don't know," Haruhi added.

"You can call it curiosity. I had found her notebook and it had an address on it. I was just going to bring it back to her and ask her why she ran like she did. When I found her though she was sleeping right next to an ice rink. I couldn't get her to wake up and so I gave her my jacket. I was hoping that she would find me to return it and I could get an explan-," Kaoru tried to explain before he was cut off.

"Geesh Ritsu, here you are. I've been looking all over for you. We have to go h-"

Celeste froze once her brother turned to the side to look at her. Her eyes were locked on the twins that had just been hidden from her view when her brother was facing them. Kaoru was looking at her completely confused while Hikaru was looking away. After a little bit of awkward silence, Kaoru stood up. By him doing that, she regained her focus. She grabbed onto her brother's arm and dragged him out of the room. Kaoru stood there more confused than ever. He looked back at his brother wanting to know what he was thinking. Hikaru didn't seem to care for her in the least and he couldn't figure out why. Before anymore questions arose, the guests arrived. Everything went smoothly like usual. When the club was over, an obvious air of bored filled the room. That's when the twins came up with the brilliant idea of following Haruhi home. Honey and Tamaki were up for it right away. No matter how much Haruhi refused, she realized that they would continue to persist. The sun was rapidly on its way setting for the day. With the beginning of winter upon them, they wanted to get to her place before it became too cold. Haruhi kept questioning to herself why she had to be the target of interest. Tamaki just glomped her, giving her a million and one reasons answers. The rest of the group stayed behind the two. As always, Mori and Kyoya tagged along. At the tail end of the group were the twins.

"What's wrong Hikaru?" Kaoru asked. "You're being quieter than usual."

"Hmm? Nothing," Hikaru answered.

"Hikaru..."

He knew that his brother was keeping something from him and he didn't like it. They never kept secrets before, why is now suddenly different? He was really tempted to get him to talk but something else caught his attention. Right across the street, he saw Celeste. Despite the cooling temperatures, she was wearing jean shorts and a white tank top. She was talking with a guy who towered over her, similar to how Mori is. Unlike Mori, this guy is a lot more muscular. Definitely not someone you don't want to mess with. He didn't seem to have any interest in whatever she was talking about.

"Masaru Yamamoto," Kyoya spoke up, startling the watchful boy. "Age nineteen."

"You know him Kyoya-sempai?" Kaoru asked, not taking his eyes off the two.

Adjusting his glasses he answered, "he's caused some trouble. My family's police force has caught him on different occasions. He's on parole now."

His eyes widened as he asked, "what did he do?"

"Let's just say his temper makes Hikaru look like a kitten."

"What is she doing with him then?"

"It seems like they're going to a club."

Even though he was very uncomfortable with the situation, Kaoru decided to just catch up to the rest of the group who kept walking. Even Hikaru didn't bother to notice his vanishing friends. Once they arrived at the destination, Haruhi bit her tongue and just decided to make dinner for seven hungry mouths. The quicker it's done, the quicker they're gone. In the middle of the meal, Kaoru's phone rang. Everyone was in the own conversation and so he didn't think it'd be rude to answer it right there.

"Hey Bossa Nova, what's up?" he answered.

"You haven't seen my sister have you?" Kasanoda asked, obviously winded.

"A little while ago, why?"

"Where?"

"At some club. Why? What's going on?"

"She had a fight with our mom about her boyfriend. She left with him after that. I couldn't find her anywhere. I'm scared something's going to happen to her."

He glanced up seeing that most everyone was watching him in concern. In knowing they'll be willing to help the worried brother he told him, "we'll see what we can do until you arrive."

"Really? Thanks, I owe you."

Kaoru ended the call and looked back at his friends. He explained the situation to them. After discussing for moment it was decided that Tamaki would stay back with Haruhi just in case something happens. He would have suggested Hikaru to stay back as well but he just didn't seem interested. Everyone else left, not wanting to waste time. The sky was now pitch-black. The only lights the group had to go on were the dim street lamps. Kaoru crossed his arms, regretting not taking his jacket from Kasanoda before he was dragged out. Hikaru wrapped his arm around his shoulders and stuck to his side like glue. Kaoru would have done the same for him but he was just too cold. He couldn't unknot his arms. Honey stayed on Mori's shoulders. He helped keep his head warm while he, thanks to his small stature, was able to be fully warm. Kyoya was perfectly fine. He didn't show any sign he was cold at all. As they walked, they discussed what they were going to do. Since they were the oldest and strongest if things didn't work out too well, the cousins would go inside. The rest would wait outside, knowing they were too young to enter. Because of that, Kyoya went ahead and called a car so that there would at least be warm while waiting. By the time they reached the club, the twins were simply shivering. Even Kyoya had crossed his arms. The car he called for was already waiting for them. The brothers jumped in it, really wanting to warm up. Relief filled them when they felt the heat on full blast inside. They still leaned against each other though. Not a word was traded between them. Hikaru just watched Kaoru as Kaoru watched outside. After a few moments, Mori exited the club with a limp body in his arm. Kaoru's eyes widened and he just jumped out of the vehicle. Mori handed the body to him and he went right back inside. Along with Kyoya, Kaoru went back inside the car. While the upperclassman was busy on the phone calling backup, the younger twin examined the unconscious girl. What stood out to him the most was her nose. It was obviously broken nose. It was already turning purple. When he was able to find a tissue, he used it to wipe away the blood on her upper lip. After that he just kept it against her nose. Before he could examine further, the car door opened. The three boys looked over seeing Celeste's brother. His eyes widened when he saw her and quickly took her from Kaoru.

While examining her himself he told them, "thanks."

"Happy to help," Kaoru responded. "Make sure you thank Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai."

"I couldn't stop thanking them. That bastard Masaru is going back to jail thanks to them."

"What does she see in him?"

"I'll tell you later. I stay out here any longer and she'll end up getting sick."

As the siblings left, the cousins entered. Mori sat on the right of Kyoya while Honey on the left. The two looked like they just went through a duel. Honey explained how Masaru put up a fight while having lackeys to back him up. Kaoru rubbed his forehead with a sigh, wishing he knew what the hell was going on. He looked over at his brother to see what he was thinking about. Hikaru looked like he was on the verge of a temper. No matter how much he tried to get an answer though, Kaoru just got another problem to figure out.


	2. Chemistry

"You can't make me go in there!" shouted Celeste.

"I'll drag you if I have to," Kasanoda growled at her.

She clung onto the open car door with her life. She knew exactly where she was just by the landmarks that led to the area. Her brother was pulling at her legs which left her airborne. He convinced their driver to help him out and he pried her fingers from the door. Right when she was free, Ritsu lifted her so that she was on his shoulder. She fought against him with all she had but it wasn't enough. He knocked on a door with his free hand. The door opened shortly after. After taking a few steps inside, he set her down on her feet. Before she had a chance to run away, he ran out slamming the door shut behind him. Her eyes narrowed and went to the door. No matter how much she pulled on the handle though, it wouldn't open.

"What are you doing here?" Hikaru questioned with a yawn.

"Trying to leave," she muttered in great annoyance.

"Why are you here?" he asked more annoyed.

"You really think I would be here by choice? I was forced against my will by my brother. I have no idea why."

He pushed her aside which just angered her more. He just assumed she didn't know how to open the door. So when he tried, he became extremely confused. She sighed, just trying to calm her nerves. She slid down the wall next to the door. Once she was sitting she pulled out her mp3 player and put the headphones on. He just watched her, trying to figure out why she was in his home. She simply ignored him though. When he just didn't care enough anymore, he walked away. For awhile after that, she just sat there listening to the ticking of a nearby grandfather clock. She had her headphones on so that it would only look like she wasn't listening. There was no way she would cut off one of her senses in the enemy's territory.

"Who are you?"

She looked over seeing a little girl looking at her. She answered softly, "hi... My name's Celeste." The child had obvious trouble in pronouncing her name and so she chuckled saying, "you can just call me Cel. What's your name?"

"Ageha."

"That's a pretty name. It's nice to meet you Ageha-chan." She walked closer to her and looked at the bracelet she was wearing. She couldn't help but smile as she asked, "you like it?" She nodded silently and so Celeste took off her bracelet. She gave it to her saying, "here. It's all yours."

"Thank you," she said talking it.

"You're welcome."

"Are you here for my brothers?"

"Never..."

"Then why are you here?"

"My brother forced me here against my will."

"Brothers are stupid."

She couldn't help but laugh. After a moment she replied, "you're awesome Ageha-chan."

Her amusement what cut short when Hikaru came back. He picked up Ageha and said, "stay away from my sister."

Her eyes narrowed and she stood up. She looked up at the annoyed boy asking, "what is your problem?"

Before he could say anything, there were noises from outside the door. She looked at the door right away. Right when the door was open, she escaped. She could just tell that she passed a few people but she really didn't care who they were. She was so happy to be free that she was running as fast as her legs could take her. Thanks to her endurance, she was able to make it back to her home before she had to walk. No one at the Kasanoda residence dared to approach her. She was engulfed in flames of rage. It didn't take her long to find her brother. Before he could get away, she grabbed onto the front of his shirt and pushed him against the wall. She threatened him to never do that to her again. He nodded rapidly in understanding and she let him go. He fell to his knees once she was gone. He was scared shitless. With a shaking hand, he picked up the phone he dropped when she knocked him.

"H-Hey man," Kasanoda spoke in a stutter.

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the call before they said, "thanks for trying."

* * *

Directly after school the following day, Celeste went straight to the ice rink. Her blood was still boiling from what happened yesterday. She couldn't go before because her mother was still furious with her about leaving with Masaru. But now she's at the one place she can feel at total ease. Well, that is until she tries jumping again. From the loop to the lutz, she couldn't complete any trick. After over a dozen falls, she couldn't take it anymore. She took off her skates and threw them across the rink in frustration while shouting furiously. She pulled her knees to her and rested her forehead on them. Minutes of pure silence slowly passed. A sudden loud bang cut off the stillness. Celeste looked to her left seeing the very bottom of a shoe. Her eyes narrowed and she stood up. She stepped out of the rink to see a twin flat on his back. He was holding onto his head, grimacing. She growled lightly and stepped on his chest with enough force that he wouldn't be able to get up. His eyes went wide and looked into hers. Once he read the murderous intent, he put his arms up in surrender.

"You have thirty seconds to explain yourself," she muttered.

"And then what..?" he questioned hesitantly.

From the voice she realized it was Kaoru. Of course, she should have figured that by now because Hikaru would be spitting fire right back at her instead of quivering. "You don't want to know," she answered, adding more weight to his chest.

He gulped before answering, "I just want to know why you hate us so much..."

She kneeled down, adding even more weight on him. After he winced a bit his eyes grew wide once again when he saw her face mere inches away from his. "You and your damned brother ruined my life for two years plus and you have the nerve to forget?" She could feel his increased pulse rate under her foot. When she realized he was speechless she hissed, "don't come near me again..."

She rose back to her feet and walked way. He took in a double of deep breaths to restore his breathing pattern. While doing so he rubbed his chest. After a couple moments, he stood back up. There was a problem though. By standing, his weight went onto the foot that was still on the ice resulting him falling again. He could barely hear her call him pathetic. He just stared up at the ceiling dazed. He wasn't even aware that his phone was going off. She picked it up because it had fallen out of his pocket after the second fall. When she saw that it was Hikaru, she answered it.

"Kaoru? Where are you?" Hikaru asked right away.

"Why, I'm sorry mister devil but your brother can't talk right now," she spoke calmly.

"You bitch! What do you do to him?"

"Little ol' me? I did nothing," she answered, making her voice scream that she was trying to sound innocent.

"Where the hell are you?"

She had no problem giving him the address. After she did, she hung up on him. Before giving the motionless one back his phone, she took hers out.

While putting his number in her phone Kaoru asked her, "what are you doing?"

"I'll call you once hell freezes over," she said dropping his phone.

"That's not what I meant..."

"Oh, you mean with that waste of breath you call a brother? Just making sure that there will be no chance we will meet again."

He sat up with a grunt of pain. While he rubbed the back of his head he said, "if this is the last time we talk, then tell me how we messed your life up so bad."

"Not worth my time," she said as she walked away.

"Ageha really likes you," he said quickly as a last resort.

"And I feel sorry for her, having you two for brothers."

He forced himself to his feet, making sure he was off the ice this time. Once he was stable, he caught up to her. Before she could push him away, he stuck a piece of paper in her hand. Then he just left. For a moment she just stood there. Then she realized how she was defeated. With him leaving before Hikaru arrives, he can make easily make it look like nothing happened. He was obviously planning on continuing to contact her. She kicked the wall in frustration only to end up in great pain. She sat on the floor and held her foot. She had the mouth that might as well be a sailor's. After the pain faded away, she looked at the folded paper that had fallen next to her. In not seeing what could go wrong, she picked it up and opened it. On the paper was a drawing of herself with Ageha. They were surrounded by butterflies and flowers. On Ageha's wrist was the butterfly charm bracelet that she gave her. She couldn't help but smile at the picture. The smile didn't last too long though when she realized he's going to be playing dirty.

* * *

Celeste woke up the next day, feeling very uncomfortable. In fact, her entire being had an aching pain. She looked around, not recognizing her surroundings. After closer examination she realized she was in the hospital. Too much white for anything else. She heard her named called and so she looked to her right seeing her brother. He held onto her tightly. She patted his back, totally confused of what's going on. He was muttering something angrily but she couldn't figure out what. He just kept holding her for awhile. Once she felt that it was enough, she pushed him away. He did back away but then just looked down at her completely worried. She just looked back, confused. He questioned her about her memory and was greatly disappointed that the last thing she remembers was going to bed previous night. She questioned about it and his eyes just read sadness.

"Celeste, you were kidnapped last night..." he whispered.

"Huh?" she questioned right away, not believing it.

"You weren't in your room this morning but your shoes were still there."

"Why don't I remember anything then?"

"The doctor was easily able to tell that you were heavily drugged."

"Shit..." she whispered, rubbing her forehead. "I'm almost too scared to ask but do you know what happened to me? And anyway, if I was kidnapped why am I here?"

Kasanoda tried to talk but his jaw locked. Anger replaced the sadness in his gaze. An unexpected voice heatedly spat out, "that bastard violated you..."

She raised her head and her eyes went wide when she saw Hikaru. She was still completely out of it so anger didn't come to her right away. Ritsu helped her sit up so that she wasn't straining her neck. After leaning back against a couple of pillows she asked, "who?"

"Celeste... This isn't the first time... You know who..." her brother answered softly.

"Will you give up with that?" she asked a little bit annoyed now.

"Stop being in denial!"

"You need proof? Look to your left," Hikaru spoke, trying to keep his cool.

She sighed in annoyance but when she did look in that direction her eyes widened. Kaoru was sitting in a chair right next to her. His head was propped against the wall. She could easily tell from his heavier breathing that he was asleep. That's not what stuck out though. His right eye was dark and swollen. A couple moments passed before she began to shake her head. Even with the proof with the pain she felt and the pain Kaoru felt, she still didn't want to believe it. Hikaru just snapped. He stood up from his seat near the end of the bed and walked over to her. He punched the pillow right next to her head and she looked right at him. He brought his narrow eyes close to hers.

"Right after Kasanoda called this morning Kaoru left without a second thought. It didn't take him long to find you. You know what else he found?"

"Hikaru, that's enough," Kaoru said, pulling his brother away from her. "It's bad enough that I saw."

Glancing over his shoulder, Hikaru dared her, "just take a guess at what he saw."

"Hikaru," he repeated.

He shook his head and just left the room. Her brother held onto her for a moment, before following. Kaoru stayed behind though. He didn't want her to be left alone. She just sat on the bed, in complete shock. In taking his chances, he sat down next to her. To his surprise, she didn't move in the least. Very hesitantly, he raised his hand and rested it on her head. She looked over at him, making him jump a bit. He wasn't certain to how she was going to react. She did nothing but look at him though. She was just looking for answers in his one good eye. He growled a bit as anger hit him and he pulled her against him. She was completely frozen. He continually whispered how he was sorry. The more times he said it, the more her throat tightened. It became so tight in the end that she just cracked. His grasp on her doubled. He felt so bad for her that he even went to the point of gently rocking her. She did absolutely nothing to fight him off. At the same time though, she didn't dare cling to him. Her arms were limp next to her. Even so, it was his shoulder she cried on. Neither was sure how much time had passed by the time she was finally able to calm down. His shoulder was completely soaked.

"S-sorry..." she quivered, backing away from him.

"Hey..." he spoke softly. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about."

"... Hell is room temperature."

He chuckled softly and said, "good to know."

While wiping off the excess tears, she asked him, "how bad is your eye..?"

"Eh? It hurts a little bit but it's okay. Won't take too long to heal." She nodded silently and he began a new subject with, "I talked to Hikaru yesterday. Apparently the day he talked to you those years ago I was sick at home." She barely glanced at him as he continued, "he was really... unhappy that I wasn't there and you apparently got on his nerves somehow."

"You make it sound so simple..."

"What happened?"

"Do you remember one time a few years ago in a science lesson the teacher purposely split up the two of you?"

"I think so..."

"I was the partner he chose for you."

He blinked a couple times in confusion before asking, "that was you?" She looked over in the direction where her brother was sitting and saw a pair of glasses. She picked them up and put them on. Then she just looked at him. "Whoa!"

Taking them back off she continued, "truly you terrified me... You and your brother... But then when I got clumsy and all those chemicals spilled on me you just laughed... I knew that you were laughing at me but just knowing that I was able to amuse you at all, well, I became that typical middle school girl... I must have given you the note the day you weren't there..."

It took him a few moments to put his thoughts together after hearing that. Once he did he asked, "but why would that ruin your life for so long?"

"I'm sure you remember my grades... I failed nearly everything... Hell, I still do... The only way I can stay in school is with a sports scholarship... It wasn't even him calling me a moron that did it to me but how cruelly he said it... I had heard it so many times... He destroyed the last thread of confidence I had... My trainer forced me to go to therapy because I lost all ability in my jumping... You saw how I was yesterday... I haven't improved at all..."

"And that's when you met-"

"Masaru... He made me believe that he was the best that I could ever get... In the beginning I knew he was a piece of shit... But as time went on I became numb to it and eventually was able to force myself to forget... I guess reality just hit me again... This time with a sledgehammer..."

"Celeste..."

"Why am I telling you all this..?"

He held onto her again and told her, "just say hell froze over."

"Even if you are innocent... It still hurts..."

"Let me help you get your confidence back."

"How can you help me..?"

"Say hell froze over and you'll find out."

Her uncertain eyes rose to meet his comforting one and injured one. In realizing even after he got hurt he was still willing to help her that she really had nothing to lose. "Hell froze over..."

* * *

I am aware to the fact that Ageha does not come into the story until the very end of the manga and that's just in previews but I really want to use her in this story :)


	3. Crushed

The days following Celeste getting discharged from the hospital went by at a snail's pace. Once Celeste entered her room, she wouldn't come out. She wouldn't eat, she just laid in bed nonresponsive. Everyone in the syndicate checked up on her at least once a day. Despite just being concerned for her, they didn't want her to be taken again. None of them could figure out how Masaru was able to snatch her so many times without alarming anyone. They scoped out the area and found zero evidence. He really was like a ninja and it scared them. If you can't be save at the Kasanoda residence, where can you be? Kaoru barely stopped himself from visiting. He was actually able to get her to talk to him. He didn't want to ruin the progress he's made. He couldn't get her off his mind though. Just what he walked in on those few days ago was burned into his mind's eye. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became. He told her story to the rest of his club, just wanting to hear their opinions on the matter. They all knew that he was still out there. Without a serious felony again him, he'll just keep giving up money to be free to stalk the streets.

"Celeste?" a voice softly called out to her.

As per usual, she didn't show any sign of attention. She just laid in bed, fully covered by the blanket. A smaller voice called out to her, "Cel?"

She peeked from under the blanket seeing Ageha. The little girl leaned over and rested her head on hers. It was obvious that she was trying to make her feel better but in the end only more tears fell. After his sister raised her head, Kaoru sat up Celeste. She was incredibly limp though. Just hating seeing her like this, he held her tightly in hope that it would do something for her. She still really didn't respond though. Ageha moved over enough so that she could sit on her lap. Celeste wrapped her arms around her very loosely. For awhile the three just stayed like that. Kaoru wanted to say something, do anything that could make her feel better. Nothing was coming to his mind though.

"She's sleeping," Ageha simply said.

Kaoru looked down, seeing that indeed she was snoozing. After his sister got off her, he carefully laid her back down. He found it difficult to stand up after replacing the blanket. He rested his hand on her head, wishing he knew the surefire way to make her better.

"You should tell her you like her," his sister told him.

His head fell in shame as he muttered, "am I really that obvious..?"

"Yes."

He sighed and raised his head back up. Looking back at her he said, "I can't, at least not now. I don't want to make her uncomfortable or angry at me again."

"I think she likes you."

After a moment of feeling flustered he said, "I'm going to check on Hikaru."

He left the room without another word. Ageha lied down next to Celeste and held onto her. She noticed something odd before saying, "you're awake."

"So it seems..." she whispered back.

"Why didn't you let him know?"

She sighed before answering, "because I'm a mess right now. I don't know what to think."

"Your heart has nothing to do with your head."

"How old are you again?"

"I listen to Hikaru and Kaoru a lot."

She couldn't help but just laugh hearing that. She held onto the child, just loving how blunt she is. Nearly a half minute passed before she could calm down. Once she did, she sat up and wiped the extra moister from her eyes. She heard her name called and looked over seeing both of the twins. Kaoru was smiling while Hikaru simply observed. She just stared back at them, unsure of what to do. Ageha jumped off the bed and walked over to them. Once there, she held onto Hikaru's hand and pulled him over to Celeste. She then commanded him to apologize to her. The two made eye contact but he remained silent. His sister didn't like that and so she stomped on his foot. He gasped and hopped on his other foot for a moment. Kaoru quickly came over and picked her up before she did anymore damage. Growling lightly, Hikaru limped out of the room.

Kaoru let out a sigh before saying, "sorry about him."

Celeste shook her head before saying, "no, I understand. He thinks I'm trying to take you from him doesn't he?"

"Pretty much."

"You'd better go to him then, before he plans something horrible to do to me."

He smiled a bit and rested his hand on her head saying, "go get some fresh air. Everyone's worried about you." She gave him a small salute which just made his smile wider. "Oh, almost forgot."

"What?"

He took his hand off her head and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her saying, "a good friend of mine wanted me to give this to you." After staring at it for a moment, she took it. "You'd better be back to normal tomorrow," he said as he left the room.

* * *

There was a slower flow of customers at the host club today. Even so each member still had at least one customer to attend to. Tamaki was being his charming self with the grand majority of the customers. Kyoya was trying to figure out ways of bringing more customers back. Haruhi was just being her normal self in 'camouflage'. Honey was stuffing his face as per usual with all different types of cakes while his silent sidekick was sitting. The twins were doing what they could to stop themselves from becoming bored. All they were doing was mindlessly chatting with a couple customers though.

"Cel-chan! Cel-chan!" Honey exclaimed, startling a couple around him.

He jumped off the couch and ran to the open door. He grabbed Celeste's wrist and grinned up at her. She just looked down at him confused. Without giving her a chance to move on her own, he pulled her over to where he was just sitting. He had her sit down at the end of the sofa and he sat down next to her so that he was also next to his cousin. He offered her a piece of cake that she refused. From not eating for days, eating that now would just make her sick. Frowning, he handed her a cup of tea. That she did take.

After taking a sip she asked him, "so what did you want to talk about?"

Holding onto Usa-chan, he answered, "I just wanted to know how you were doing Cel-chan. We're all worried about you." When she didn't respond he told her, "just look around."

She raised her head and did so. Looking about, she noticed that all the hosts were looking at her except for Hikaru. Tamaki smiled at her before returning to his guests. Haruhi gave her a small nod. Kyoya looked like he was simply analyzing her. To finish them off, Kaoru gave her a smile and a small wave. After she did what Honey asked, she looked back down at him. When she did that though, she came face to face with the pink bunny. He told her to hold onto it for him. She put the tea cup down on the table and took it. Right after it was in her possession, he went right back to stuffing his face. For a few minute, Celeste just sat there trying to think though her damaged mind. That's when she heard squeals. She looked over seeing Hikaru holding onto Kaoru. She made eye contact with the older brother instantly. She could easily tell in his eyes that he didn't want her there. If she were any more stable she would have been able to ignore it. Her weak defenses began to crumble. She gave Honey Usa-chan back saying that she was going to look for her Ritsu. He could tell something was off about her but he just nodded. She did her best to leave unnoticed but she knew that was impossible. Either way she still left. Soon after, Honey stood up and made his way over to the closest window. He climbed up onto the window sill and sat on it. It wasn't long until he saw her walking across the courtyard. She was indeed on her way to the gardening club that her brother was a member of. However, the closer she got the slower she walked. Once she got to the building, she just leaned against it.

"She seems pretty bad off huh?" Tamaki asked when he approached the window.

"Tama-chan?"

"I'm going to see what I can do," he said as he walked away.

* * *

Tamaki and Celeste talked for what seemed like forever and a half and yet no time at all. They were still talking after the club was finished. Truly, they didn't realize how much time passed until the others approached them. It became obvious to all of them that Celeste was uncomfortable. Kaoru approached her so that he could ask what was bothering her. Before he could ask, she stepped back. By doing that, she bumped into another. Looking around she saw her brother. He could easily tell that she was ready to leave. Nodding, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. After thanking the group for keeping an eye on her the two left.

"What did you two talk about Tama-chan?" Honey asked him.

"I tried to convince her to transfer back to Ouran," he answered, still looking in the direction where she had just been.

"She doesn't want to?"

"She never gave me an answer but she didn't seem happy about the idea."

"Here Sempai," Haruhi said as she handed him his bag.

"Aww! I have the sweetest daughter!" he exclaimed holding her tightly.

While holding her, he looked at the agitated Hikaru. He didn't get much of an observation passed that since Haruhi pushed him away. Pouting, he took his bag. Suddenly, there was a commotion that alarmed the entire group. They quickly ran around the corner to see what had happened. There they saw an angered Kasanoda standing in front of his cowering sister. In front of them was none other than Masaru. He was talking to her like Ritsu wasn't even there. She seemed to do whatever she could to ignore him. Kaoru, Tamaki, and Honey were the first ones to run over. The others weren't too far behind though. In no longer liking his odd, Masaru quickly fled. Kaoru turned around and held onto the pale girl. He continuously whispered to her how everything will be alright. Like before, she didn't fight against him but didn't cling to him either. He could tell that he knees were able to buckle and so he picked her up. He didn't like how she wasn't responding and so he called out to her. She still didn't give him a response. Frowning, he handed her to her brother. He took her with a soft thanks. Now that she felt more comfortable being closer to her brother, she was able to look at the others. Honey was talking to Mori while sitting on his shoulders. Kyoya seemed to be in deep thought. Tamaki and Hikaru were nowhere to be seen. Kaoru and Haruhi just watched her concerned. The taller of the two reached over and rested his hand on her head. He then bent over just a bit so that he would be at eye level with her.

When she looked at him he said, "you heard me right? Things are going to be okay." When she didn't respond he said, "keep this in mind Celeste. When we came over he had no choice but to run. He's not invincible."

"Doesn't mean he won't get me..."

"Hey..." he whispered. "I won't let him get you."

"So what you're saying is that if I am taken you'll take all the blame?"

"It'll be what I deserve for not protecting you."

"You're weird..."

He smiled a bit and said, "You already said the phrase, don't be afraid to call me if you ever want someone to talk to."

"Last resort..."

He chuckled softly and ruffled her hair. In knowing the conversation died off, Kasanoda brought them back to reality when he said that they had to head home. The younger twin nodded and stood up straight. Celeste was placed back onto her feet, knowing that she was stable enough to move on her own. Kasanoda went over to the family car and opened the door. The driver just waited in the front since he's been there for awhile. Just before Celeste got in, she looked at the concerned boy. She assured him that she would be okay and he smiled a bit. After that, the car drove off with the siblings inside. Just around the corner, Tamaki had Hikaru watch from a distance.

"You can at least try to get to know her Hikaru. It's strange that you're so hateful towards her while Kaoru is quite the opposite," Tamaki said.

"You wouldn't understand," Hikaru muttered.

"What? If you're so jealous you should let him know."

"If it was that simple I would," he said as he made his way back to the group.

* * *

After school the next day, Celeste found herself wandering the streets. She knew she was safe enough because there were so many others around too, even if they were complete strangers. Even so, she knew to change clothes before leaving the school grounds. She changed into a pair of jeans and a black hoodie. She had the hood up just to make it harder to recognize her. Her right hand was carrying her school bag while her left was in her pocket, holding a smooth metal object. Her gaze never left the sidewalk directly in front of her feet. A sudden thunder crash brought her attention to the dark gray sky. In no longer wanting fresh air, she decided to simply head home.

"Hikaru!"


	4. Caught

Celeste frowned when she heard Kaoru's panicked voice. Looking across the street, she saw the twins. They were kneeled down on the pavement with him holding onto Hikaru. She couldn't see what had happened because of the multiple cars rapidly passing by. As if on cue, the light changed so that pedestrians could walk across. She didn't give a damn about Hikaru but she could easily see how worried Kaoru is from where she was. Deciding to swallow her anger, she crossed the street while she still could. When she made it to them however, Kaoru grasped onto her forearm tightly. She looked at him annoyed and his eyes widened when he recognized her. He apologized profusely and let her go. Sighing, she looked down at Hikaru. His right foot somehow got wedged into the gutter. She could easily tell by his expression that he was in a great deal of pain. She kneeled down and examined closer. This is an instance where the object can go into the trap and not be able to get out as easily.

Making eye contact with Hikaru she said, "I need you to trust me right now, okay?"

"Why should I?" he asked.

"Because I don't want you freaking out by me touching you. And, if you want my help I need you to not have an attitude with me."

He muttered in annoyance and looked away. She rolled her eyes but knew that was the closest she was going to get. She put her bag down and fully sat down on the edge of the sidewalk. She was barely able to accompany his trapped foot with her hands. Just to check, she gently touched his ankle. She could easily tell that it was beginning to swell. She knew she had to be quick in order to get him out without the need of tearing apart the concrete. If she could just get his shoe off he would be able to get free. When she tried to take it off though, nothing but harsh words left his mouth. Sighing, she reached into her pocket. She pulled out the metal object she was holding earlier. Hikaru looked at her right away when she began to use it.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked alarmed.

"Getting rid of your shoe," she answered pretty monotone. It was obvious she was concentrating.

Heavy rain began to pour down on the trio. In just a few seconds they were soaked. She was working as quickly as she could while being careful not to hurt him at the same time. Kaoru was just trying to distract his brother. He was holding him tightly and just talked about what they would do when they made it home. Hikaru didn't respond in the least but still his attention was somewhat divided. The longer she took in working to free him, the more something began to nag her. She felt that if she didn't finish soon, something horrible was going to happen. She was able to feel relieved, though, when she was able to slip his shoe off without hurting him. She helped him get his foot back above ground and he sighed. Right away, Kaoru helped him stand up. Celeste picked up her bag and ushered the twins away from the road. Not two seconds later, they heard a loud crash directly behind them. Very slowly, they looked behind them. What they saw just made them feel sick. Right where they had just been now rests a totaled car. It had rammed harshly into a light post and the hood was horribly dented. The twins felt their knees going weak and so they sat down carefully. Celeste staggered off, not wanting to think about what almost happened. It wasn't long at all until police and an ambulance arrived. The sirens brought the twins back to reality and they rose to their feet. Kaoru frowned deeply when he noticed the hero of the day was gone. He knew it was more important to get his brother home though. As he helped him limp away from the commotion, he took out his phone and called for a ride out of there.

* * *

Both of the Hitachiin boys had a difficult time sleeping that evening. They kept having nightmares of what could have been. When it came to school the next day, they were a complete mess. They somehow survived making it to the club. That's when they crashed. None of the other members did anything about it. Kyoya saw it as an opportunity. With just the twin's sleeping, the girls couldn't keep their eyes off them. Hikaru was sleeping on his back, his head on the arm rest. His right leg with the swollen ankle was off the couch along with his dangling right arm. Kaoru, who fell asleep pretty much at the same time, had fallen so his head was right under his brother's chin. Hikaru's left arm somehow found its way around the younger's waist. Their guests couldn't tear their eyes away from the living work of art in front of them. They whispered to each other their own ideas of why the two were so tired. They did their best to keep their squeals at a minimum. After the host club was over, the conscious members were debating on who would wake the twins. Right when Tamaki was inching up to them, Kasanoda entered the room. The occupants looked at him curiously.

"Kaoru asked me to get him," he explained.

"Well, you're welcome to try Bossa-Nova," Tamaki said as he directed him to the twins.

He glared at the blonde for saying his name wrong but didn't say anything about it. Tamaki still felt a chill run down his spine though. Sighing, he looked down at the resting boys. He called out to them loudly enough to make them stir. In knowing that he could be heard, he brought up the girl that Kaoru questioned him about in the first place. Immediately after, Kaoru was wide awake to the world. He was on his feet in a matter of seconds. His friends watched him surprised. Hikaru was definitely not near as energetic. He simply reclosed his eyes, just wanting to sleep more. Even so, Kaoru forced him to get up. Groaning in annoyance, he grabbed his crutches. Kaoru collected both of their belongings before following Kasanoda. The three left after a quick farewell to their friends. In the car, Ritsu couldn't help but watch the twins. Hikaru was barely hanging on to consciousness while Kaoru looked completely anxious as if he just drank a bunch of coffee. He never found out from his sister why she was so shaken up and now these two are about to pass out. He couldn't figure out for the life of him what was going on. When they arrived, Kaoru did whatever he could to help his brother. Once the three were on their feet, they went inside. Soon after, Kasanoda went his own way. He knew that Kaoru knew the way.

"Wake up Hikaru, you know you have to do this," the younger told the older.

While letting out a loud yawn he said, "I know."

Just before they could knock on the door they were outside of, it opened. The two looked down at the ill Celeste. She looked up at the two with a dull expression. Kaoru frowned when he studied her. Her cheeks were flushed while the rest of her seemed extra pale. Her hair was a complete mess. Her breathing pattern was uneven. She looked completely miserable. Not only that, but when he was about to reach out to her, her knees simply gave out on her. His eyes widened as he caught her just before she hit the floor. By holding her close, he could tell how warm she was. Feeling completely guilt ridden, he picked her up. He walked over to her bed and gently laid her down. From there, he grabbed the covers and pulled them over her.

"I'm sick, I'm not dying... You can relax..." she spoke softly.

He rested his hand on her forehead, just to truly realize how warm she really was. Frowning, he said, "I'm sorry."

"Once again, it's not your fault... He needs to learn how to watch where he's walking..."

He glanced back at his brother who was still at the doorframe. He was leaning against it with his eyes closed. Frowning a bit he whispered, "Hikaru..."

"Go home now... You need to sleep before you get sick like me..."

Instead of getting up though, he held her tightly whispering, "you have no idea how thankful I am..."

She gently patted his back with her left hand saying, "I know better than you think..." He looked down at her confused and she said, "you shouldn't be this close to a sick person... I know you know better..."

He nodded and said, "take care of yourself."

She gave him a small salute which just made him smile. In knowing she was right, he stood up and went over to his more than half asleep twin. He let him know that they were going home and he let out a sigh in relief. Kaoru looked back at her one more time, seeing that her eyes were now closed. He flipped the light switch off and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Three days passed before Celeste could say that she was healthy again. Despite her warnings, Kaoru came over after school each day. He never did get sick though. He felt so indebted to her he wanted to do whatever he could to make her feel better. He mainly just kept her company. She ended up enjoying his attention. Only thing that bothered her was whenever she tried to get up, he wouldn't let her. He just wanted her to take it easy. He simply ignored her glares. She could never be angry too long though. He always found a way to amuse her from talking about the randomness of his club to talking about her skating. In fact on the third day, he brought his laptop with him. He calmly sat next to her on her bed and turned it on. After it booted up, he went online.

"I've been doing a little bit of research," he began. "I watched some of your videos from before what happened those couple years ago."

"Getting a little obsessive are we?" she questioned him with an arched eyebrow.

"I told you before that I'm going to do whatever I can to give you your confidence back."

"So that includes being attached to the hip, got it."

"Do you want me to leave?"

When she didn't respond he just smiled. Soon after, he had her watch her old videos that were online. During them, he pointed out key differenced he noticed between the past and the present. Her eyebrows simply furrowed when listening to him. She couldn't figure out how he's making such a big problem for her so simple. She was itching to try it out, but he wouldn't let her get up. He just ruffled her hair after seeing her frown. Then he got off the bed, closing his computer. Just before leaving, he commanded her to rest. Soon after she heard the door click shut, she held onto the pillow that he was leaning against. It was as close as possible to holding him without holding him. It was still warm from his back and she could barely pick up a scent that not even Hikaru had. With that combination, she quickly found herself asleep.

* * *

Celeste woke up in the middle of the night to her head aching. When a bunch of weight fell upon her legs, she opened her eyes to see what was going on. Her eyes widened when she met the furious eyes of Masaru. He was sitting right on her legs, hovering over her. He easily had her arms pinned down, as if he needed to. She was completely frozen. While tightening his grasp on her arms, he gave her the titles of slut and cheating whore. Nothing but a silent gasp of pain escaped her. Taking advantage of that, he sloppily kissed her. He lifted himself up a bit to do so and she found her right leg suddenly free. Taking the opportunity, she hit him as hard as she could at his weakness. He backed away from her with a wince. She could feel the furious vibes surrounding him. She was somehow able to scramble off the bed. Her stability was off and so it took her longer than she wanted to get to the door. Just as her fingertips grazed the cold metal, she was knocked harshly to the floor. She knew that she was hopelessly trapped now but she still tried to fight. He punched her hard in the gut, making her winded. He pressed his forearm firmly against her throat. Her wide eyes met his narrow ones.

Hissing under his breath, he told her, "I'm going make sure you're awake this time."

* * *

"Celeste..?"

Her eyes met with the golden pools of concern. Strong arms wrapped around her like vines. She found her cold, wet body quickly warm up. Her mind reawaked to reality. After Masaru left, she had to crawl to the bathroom. She had very little strength left in her body. She was able to fill her tub with soapy water and get in it. After that she didn't move until her mother came in to check on her. Instantly she knew what happened to her daughter. She pulled her out of the water. After wrapping a towel around her, she brought her over to her bed and sat her down. That's when Kaoru entered the room. He felt sick to his stomach when he saw her. She was covered in bite marks. Her mother left after looking at the saddened boy. Back in current time, he was holding her as tightly as he held Hikaru when he was trapped, if not more. It just hurt more when he noticed she was shaking like a leaf.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered.

She looked up at him, seeing that his eyes were glassy. After looking at him for a moment, she let her head fall. Her forehead landed right on his chin. His grasp on her doubled when she weakly grasped into the front of his shirt. It wasn't long until she broke down. Most voice she had since he was over the previous day. In closing his eyes tightly, he expelled a tear. Time slowly passed in the poorly lit room.

"Let's go out," he spoke softly.

"Huh..?" she questioned, unsure of what he meant.

"Staying in here is going to do you no good. Fresh air does the body and mind good."

"I'm not stable enough..."

"My shoulder is all yours."

"You're too kind..."

"Don't think of it that way. Come on, get dressed and let's see what we can do to rest your mind."

"...Okay."


	5. Crumbling

Before she knew it, Celeste found herself inside the Hitachiin family car. She was sitting very very still next to the left door. To her immediate right was Kaoru. In still trying to sort out his feelings between furious and depressed, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He then pulled her over to him and rested his chin on her head. She didn't mind in the least. She'll take any support right now. She still couldn't help but shake like a cold puppy. Just feeling completely horrible for her, he couldn't help but wrap his other arm around her. The secondary arm slipped around her waist. Gently, he began to rub his fingertips in circles on her back. A bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"You really are too kind..." she whispered.

Instead of saying anything, he simply tightened his grasp on her. She really didn't want to worry him anymore than he is or simply make him feel worse, but she couldn't help but wince. He pulled away from her as quickly as he could. Just so that she could see the possible damage, she raised her light pink turtleneck up a bit. There the two saw a dark bruise that spread across from her stomach to her back. Before she could lower her shirt in disgust, his hand was back on her. While he examined the mark, she studied his eyes. She's never seen such a sullen expression before. A look that she never wanted to see from him. She held onto his hand and took it off her so that she could put her sweater back down.

Pulling her tightly against him, he spoke softly, "I'm sorry..."

"Just stop it Kaoru," she spoke more annoyed than anything.

He backed away and looked at her confused. Looking right at him she said, "you're making it sound like it's your fault I got raped." When his eyes started to shift hers widened. "Kaoru?"

He looked at her with the most pathetic eyes which just made her heart ache. "If it wasn't for me you would have never found him..." he whispered.

"That's Hikaru, not you. Hikaru is the root of my problems."

"But-"

"Kaoru... So far you have to be the most innocent guy I know right now. You're not the guy that I want to punch so hard you'll go flying across the room."

Frowning deeply he asked, "you wouldn't really do that to Hikaru would you?"

Before she could answer, the car came to a stop. Not too long after that, the left door opened. With a sigh, Celeste stepped out. Kaoru wasn't too far behind her. He became completely worried of what she's capable of doing to his brother. Even though he knew that Hikaru did indeed make things crappy for her, he still didn't want anything happening to him. She ignored all his attempts to get his attention though. When they reached the front door, he stood in front of her. She looked up into his eyes that were full of worry. A tiny smirk formed on her lips just before patting his left cheek. Taking that as a 'don't worry,' he entered his home. She followed shortly after him. Everything was quiet enough. It was still early in the morning so there shouldn't be too much commotion anyhow. He led her into the brightly lit living area. There she noticed three couches, one large that faced the big screen television, and two smaller ones that faced each other. He walked over to the largest of the three and sat on the end of it. She shortly followed and sat next to him. Dead silence took over the room. A pin would be heard if it had fallen. Kaoru was just trying to figure out what to do while Celeste was remembering the previous night. The boy frowned when he noticed her sudden pale complexion. He tried to get her attention, but she was too deep into her thoughts. Just as his fingers were a centimeter away from her left shoulder, a maid called for him saying that his mother wanted him. Cursing lightly under his breath, he stood up. He grabbed the blanket that was on the back of the couch and wrapped it around her, wanting her to feel more secure. He had no choice but to leave the room after that. Now, not only was the room silent again, but now she was completely alone. Her last security measure was no longer with her. She lifted her legs up onto the couch and rested her forehead on her knees. After closing her eyes as tightly as she could, she lost all train of present thought. And that's when, no other than, Hikaru enters the room. Right when his eyes landed on the curled girl, his eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He became more irritated when she didn't respond to his calling out to her. He walked over to her and grasped onto her shoulder with a decent grasp. She grasped onto his wrist instantly with an even tighter grasp and looked at him as if he were Masaru himself. He simply glared right back at her. She let go of him and jumped off the couch so that she wouldn't be so defenseless against him.

"Let me guess, you don't know why you're here," he asked her like she was a complete idiot.

Her eyes narrowed as she answered, "if you weren't your brother's brother I'd kick your ass in a heartbeat."

"What was that?"

"You dare give me this ridiculous attitude after what you did to me?"

"You can't blame me for how shitty your life is!" he exclaimed, his temper quickly growing.

She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. All she wanted to do was inflict horrible horrible pain upon him. But, she didn't want to lose Kaoru. Still, she could only hold back so much of her rage before simply exploding. She walked around the couch so that she could stand in front of him. He just stood there, clutching his fists so tightly that they were shaking. Unable to control her arm, she slapped him with all she had. After cursing him under her breath she quickly walked away. She made sure the slam the front door as loudly as she could behind her. Unable to take another step, she slipped down the door. From there she curled back up. In realizing the blanket the decent brother put on her was still there, she pulled it tighter around her. No matter how much time passed, she couldn't get herself to move. All she wanted to do now was just go home but she couldn't get herself to even take her phone out. The minutes dragged on like hours.

"Celeste?" a soft, concerned voice called out to her.

She looked over seeing Kaoru. Instantly he noticed her struggle to hold back tears. Unable to resist, he pulled her against him. Just before breaking, she questioned him of why his brother hated her. He couldn't answer, he didn't know how. He had absolutely no clue. Hikaru wouldn't give him a single word on the matter. Only thing he was told was a warning to stay away from her. Something he couldn't do at this point. It wasn't long until she stopped crying. Even so, she didn't back away from him.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.

"Hey... You have nothing to be sorry about," he responded soothingly.

"You've been nothing but helpful to me and I'm just making your life worse..."

"Celeste..."

"See? You can't deny it... I'm putting unnecessary strain between you and your brother..."

"What happened when I left?"

"He was being an ass and so I slapped him..." She looked at her hand seeing her middle finger dark and swollen. "And I apparently hurt myself in the process." Frowning, he gently held onto her hand with both of his. She smirked bitterly while saying, "your hands are cold."

He stood up and helped her do the same. Once they were on their feet, they went back inside. He could easily tell how hesitant she was with what had just happened. Because of this, he kept a hand on her back so that she'd keep up with him. Instead of going into the living room this time, he led her up the large staircase. Right as their feet landed on the carpeted second floor, there was a loud bang. Shortly followed they heard Hikaru's frustrated words. Celeste couldn't help but look at the younger brother, feeling completely horrible. He sighed and tousled his hair. She grasped onto his sleeve and rested her forehead on his shoulder. He looked down at her sadly.

"I should leave..." she told him.

"At least wait until your finger is checked out," he said.

"I'm sorry."

"Come on," he muttered, pushing on her back again.

She let go of his arm and followed his lead. They walked down the wide hallway, passing many closed doors. Halfway down the hallway, he opened a door on the right. She couldn't help but find herself amused. Inside was a doctor's office. This place really had everything. It wasn't long until she was dragged into the room by a nurse. She was pushed onto a chair and her hand was being examined.

Celeste looked over at Kaoru saying, "you should check on your brother before he hurts himself."

"Yeah... I'll check on you in a bit."

"If you don't it's okay."

He ruffled her hair before saying, "you have no reason to apologize."

"Go on now..." she spoke softer.

* * *

_You have to believe me Kaoru. You can't trust her. She's nothing but trouble. She may act all innocent but she's not. Promise me you'll stay away from her._

_..._

_Promise me._

_Okay. ... Ce-Celeste!_

Celeste was haunted by those words. She laid motionless on her bed. Her pillow was on top of her head rather than under. The comforter covered her entire form. She made sure to lock the door behind her so that no one could enter. And in just not wanted to deal with Masaru, she pulled her bookcase in front of the window. Then she was simply overrun by emotions and found herself on her bed. Her tears wouldn't stop flowing. It wasn't bad enough that she heard them but that they knew she heard. Their bedroom door was wide open and she had no choice but to pass by it in order to leave. Since he saw the look in their eyes, her heart ached. Even now, she was clutching her sweater right over her heart. Kaoru's eyes were apologetic while Hikaru's bled victory. Out of frustration, she punched her headboard with all she had. She nearly bit her tongue off from the pain that surged through her. Holding her injured hand against herself, she silently began to cry. The cold metal brace on her finger was soothing to her burning left eye. Still, it wasn't nearly as relaxing as Kaoru's shoulder. Many minutes passed by before she could calm down enough for her lips to stop quivering. When that time came, she pulled out the pocket knife she had in her pocket. She just stared at the object that saved both of the twins' lives. She just couldn't figure out how she was still treated like a piece of shit. The more she stared at the knife, the angrier she became.

"You want me gone? Fine... You won't see me again."

* * *

"You bastard! What did you do to my sister?"

Ritsu Kasanoda had Kaoru pinned against the wall so he couldn't escape. He had a tight grasp on the collar of his shirt. His furious eyes looked for reasoning in his saddened ones. Hikaru grabbed onto the redhead and tore him away from his brother. He broke away from his grasp and glared both of them.

"What happened?" Kaoru asked, concerned.

Ignoring the question, Ritsu focused on Hikaru. "You... What the hell do you think my sister did?"

Before he could answer, Kaoru grabbed onto his shoulders asking, "what happened to her?"

"She ran away."

His eyes widened as he asked in a much quieter voice, "what?"

"You heard me."

Kaoru became pale. He just saw her a day ago, and now she was gone? He couldn't wrap his mind around it. He knew he should have followed after her, but he didn't know what to do just after promising his brother. Just by how he reacted, Ritsu couldn't put much fault into him. However, his anger peaked again when he looked at the older brother. His arms were crossed and he was looking away from the two. Kaoru knew what he was about to do to him so he made sure to get his attention back.

"Do you have any idea of where she went?" he asked, wanting any information.

"No," he simply answered. "And she cut her hair so she wouldn't be recognized."

"Come on, let's go let the others know. We need to find her before Masaru does."

After glaring Hikaru he agreed with Kaoru. The two reentered the abandoned music room. Just by the expressions of the two, the rest of the group knew something was going on. Because of that they decided to end the club early and the guests left. The seven of them sat on the couches. Ritsu explained the situation to them, making Kaoru feel even worse. He could easily tell that and so he rested his hand on his back, letting him know he wasn't to blame.

"Where's Hika-chan?" Honey asked.

Kaoru's eyes shifted away before answering, "he's not going to help."

Tamaki rested his hand on the twin's head saying, "everything will be okay."

"Come on! Let's go find Cel-chan!" Honey cheered.


	6. Controversy

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

* * *

A week has passed since Celeste went her own way. Everyone, except for Hikaru, were running themselves ragged. They haven't had a single lead of where she could be. Kaoru had continuous nightmares of horrible things that could be happening to her. He was near ready to pull his hair out. He was furious with his brother for chasing her away but he did his very best to hide it. Hikaru was simply pissed of how Kaoru was reacting to her leaving. Even after clearly explaining to him why he doesn't want anything to do with her, he still wanted to interact with her. Tension quickly brewed between the twins. For the time being, they were sleeping in separate rooms. Hikaru simply got sick of hearing his brother call out _her_ name in his sleep. Their friends did what they could to keep them occupied but there was very little point to it. Hikaru made sure to go home right after classes were finished, knowing that no one would side with him. He felt completely betrayed. Kaoru, on the other hand, stayed with everyone at the club. He wasn't hosting though. He just sat with Honey and Mori until the club was over. He wouldn't be near as furious with his brother if she hadn't vanished before their eyes. It was only a matter of time until the silence would crack between them and they would simply start yelling at each other.

"Why don't you take a nap Kao-chan?" Honey whispered, greatly concerned for his friend.

"Even if I were able to fall asleep it wouldn't help. I keep having nightmares that just make me feel even less rested than before," he struggled to answer.

Kaoru was just a mess. He had arrived at school without having his hair fixed like usual and now as the day has passed, it was a complete wreck. Dark circles around his eyes almost made him look like he was wearing makeup to be a raccoon. Once of a while his body would involuntarily twitch. Feeling completely sorry for his underclassman, Honey handed him Usa-chan. At least he had something to hold. It wasn't long after that the club was over. After the guests were gone, the active guests went over to Kaoru who was holding onto consciousness by the skin of his teeth. They tried to convince him to simply go home and let them look for Celeste, but he refused. He rose to his feet and said that by moving around he'll be wide awake. They still tried to convince him, but they knew it was to no avail. He gave Honey his bunny and left.

* * *

No matter how many times he blinked, the darkness would not leave Kaoru's vision. While rubbing the cold sweat off his forehead with his left hand, he pulled out his phone with his right. He was instantly blinded by the small screen. He squinted and turned it away from him. Very soon after, he heard a tiny groan. He blinked in confusion before looking in the direction he pointed his phone. There he saw the redhead he has been desperately searching for. Soon after that, he realized what woke him up. On the floor next to the chair she was sleeping on, her phone laid. It had constant ring. Not wanting the phone to wake her up, he forced himself to get off the couch he had been sprawled upon. While yawning loudly, he squatted down to pick it up. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end when he saw who was calling. He did not want to answer the call. However, he wouldn't dare wake up Celeste to give it to her. He pressed the green button and pressed it to his ear.

"Took you long enough Kaoru," Masaru's snake-like voice came through. Kaoru was completely frozen. "Don't worry about how I can clearly tell that it's you."

"What the hell do you want?" Kaoru asked angrily, and yet tried to keep his voice down. He didn't want her to wake up and become a nervous wreck.

"Stay away from my woman."

While clutching his free fist tightly, he responded, "she doesn't want anything to do with you. Just leave her alone."

"How's your sister doing? Ageha right?"

Words cannot describe how sickened he became in that instant. His heart began to pound. His chest and throat were tight. His mouth became dry. He could just feel the blood pumping away from his skin. "I'll kill you..." he was just barely able to say.

Masaru laughed his ass off hearing that, a laugh that terrified the distressed boy. "I'd like to see you try."

With that final comment, the line was disconnected. Not wasting anytime, Kaoru picked up his phone and called his brother. He didn't give a damn that he was still mad at him. He didn't give a damn that it was nearly four in the morning. Minutes of dial tone passed by. He would not give up though. He continuously muttered for him to answer the phone.

"Do you know what time it is..?" Hikaru mumbled.

"Go check on Ageha," Kaoru demanded.

"What..? Why..?"

"Just do it."

"Fine... Whatever..."

Kaoru could hear his struggle to simply get out of bed so he kept telling him to hurry up. He didn't explain why though. The last thing he need right now is to hear his brother's rants of how idiotic he was for going near Celeste. Minutes dragged on for the younger. He was so anxious that he was hitting the arm of the chair without realizing it.

"She's just fine Kaoru... She's in bed sleeping like you should be... Where are you anyway..?"

"Please stay with her. I'll explain tomorrow but for now don't let her be alone."

"You found her, didn't you?" he asked, more awake now.

"...Yes."

With that, Hikaru hung up on his brother. Kaoru's arm just fell from his face to his lap. Before his mind could wallow in the deepest despair, arms wrapped around his head. The awakened girl expected him to be staying still so she was surprised that not only did he stand up but she found herself in his arms. He walked over to the couch and sat down. He wrapped his arms so tightly around her that she was nearly in pain. After that, he just buried his face in her hair. She clung onto his sleeve, feeling like a total and complete burden. She wasn't fully certain what had happened for she woke up when he was talking to his brother. She had a sickening feeling her hunch of what happened was correct though. She closed her eyes tightly, allowing tears of fear to slip away.

"Never disappear like that again..." he whispered.

She nodded very slightly before whispering back, "I'm sorry..."

He sighed shakily and backed his face away from her hair. She looked up at him sadly only to feel even worse when she saw his stray tears. She let go of his sleeve to hold onto his face. From there she wiped away the tears with her thumbs. He smirked bitterly when he did the same for her. When she felt more tears begin to build up, she let go of his face to hold his torso. He wrapped his dominant arm around her waist and rested his other hand on the back of her head. They both wanted to talk, but their jaws would not budge. They didn't move in the least. They simply stayed in each other's arms, having very similar thoughts. Neither knew how much time had passed, but it felt like forever for both of them.

Kaoru found the nerve to talk first by speaking softly, "I don't want you to stay at your home until he's gone."

"Why?"

"He knows the layout of it too well. You'll be safer anywhere else. I don't want anything else happening to you."

She tightened her grasp on him and whispered, "I'm making your life a living hell... You're fighting with Hikaru, aren't you..?"

"...Yeah."

"I still don't understand why he hates me so much..."

"His thinking is ridiculous right now."

"You know, don't you? Why does he hate me?"

"I wanted him to tell you himself..." he spoke softer.

"You know the chances of that happening Kaoru, just tell me." When he didn't respond, she let go of him. From there, she backed away enough so that she could hold onto his face. There was just enough light from the unattended phones to see the main features. "Kaoru," she spoke in a more demanding tone.

He looked away from her with a small sigh. Beginning to get annoyed now, she forced him to look at her. In knowing there was no way to avoid the topic, he explained, "he claims that when we were in middle school, you would talk about us. About how ridiculous we were being so close despite being twins. He said that one time he, himself, heard you saying that you would do stuff to separate us. Just a few days after that, the most random things happened to us. Stuff from-"

Celeste heard enough. She stood up, and left the room. Kaoru frowned as his lap quickly grew cold. He noticed a new light shining into the room. After a moment he stood up and followed the trail. He found himself in a small kitchen. He didn't notice any part of the kitchen because his attention went straight to the girl's back. Well, not just that. There were drips of blood on the counter and wall she was standing in front of. His eyes widened and he quickly approached. He felt more at ease when he noticed that she was simply gutting a fish. The sight disturbed him enough to back away. He sat down at the small table on the other side of the room. From there he just watched her tear the fish apart. He could barely hear her muttering. He didn't know exactly what she was saying but there was an obvious furious aura surrounding her. He almost felt sorry for the fish. Soon, a dark thought crossed his mind which made him frown. She wouldn't do this to Hikaru, would she? He shook his head, wanting to believe something so extreme would never happen.

"Well shit," she spoke to herself.

"What's wrong?" Kaoru asked is a small voice.

"Too much of my blood got into the fish," she muttered as she simply threw it away.

Before he could approach her, she left the room. He thought it best, for his own sake, to not follow her. He just kept sitting, unsure of what to do. Soon he heard water to turn on and simply assumed she was taking a shower. Sighing, he stood up. He was on his way back to the couch when the splatters of blood grabbed his attention. They were all over the counter and wall. He was almost glad she didn't end up cooking it, knowing that she was thinking of his brother the whole time. He shook his head and grabbed a cloth that was hanging onto the faucet of the sink. Before it dried, he cleaned up the red liquid. It took him longer than he expected to make it as clean as it was before. When he finished he sighed and leaned back to stretch his back. Something caught his attention as he did so. He couldn't help but become startled when he saw Celeste just standing there, watching him. Her hair was still dripping from the shower. It covered her face enough to hide her left eye. Her right eye held no emotion. She was wearing a fluffy white robe that reached her feet. Her fingertips were barely peaking through the sleeves. After a moment, she just walked by him. He followed shortly after turning off the kitchen light. Back in the living room, the phones were still giving off enough light to illuminate the outlines of the furniture. Also, because of her white robe, he saw Celeste already lying down on the lounge chair. Her back was to him so he couldn't tell if she was trying to sleep or not. Either way, he let out a sigh before making his way to the couch. Soon enough, he was on his back with his hands behind his head.

"Your brother said that you cut your hair," Kaoru spoke softly.

For a moment she didn't respond. He assumed she was sleeping until she rolled over so she could face him. "He actually fell for that?" she asked astonished.

"What do you mean?"

"I threw away an old shirt of mine that's the same color of my hair. Can't believe he mistook it..."

He smiled a bit before asking, "how's your finger?"

She raised her hand to look at the metal brace that was still on her finger and then said, "still hurts a bit. Getting better though."

"I'm glad."

"How's your head?"

He blinked in confusion before questioning, "why?"

"Because I hit it pretty damn hard."

"You did?"

"Just saying this now, don't think you can just grab me and not react. I was just minding my own business and you nearly strangle me without saying a word. Assuming it was some creep, well... I flipped you over me and you hit the ground hard."

"Must have because I have no memory of that happening."

"Don't do that to me again. I had to carry you all the way back."

"Sorry..." After a moment's pause he asked, "where are we?"

"My therapist's home."

His entire being became ridden with guilt. Even though she was right here and unharmed, he still wished he had chased after her that day. He got himself to get off the couch and made his way over to the chair. She just watched him the best she could. After sitting down on the arm of the chair, he wrapped his arms around her. No matter how many times he apologized, she remained silent. When her breathing picked up, he quickly figured she had fallen asleep. Once he was standing again, he picked up the blanket that he had been using when unconscious earlier. From there he laid it upon her to make up for his missing warmth. Before he knew it, he was holding onto her face with his lips mere millimeters from her own.

* * *

Sunday morning, Hikaru found himself watching cartoons with his sister. Despite bickering with his brother, he never left Ageha's side after the phone call. She didn't seem to care that he was there. Her attention was simply with the talking animals on screen. He became distracted when he heard voices from outside the room. As soon as he looked over, Kaoru entered. He became concerned when he noticed he was wearing the same clothing as the day before. He stood up and limped over to his weary brother. Before he could question anything though, his shoulders were grasped. Kaoru explained to him that Celeste was waiting outside for them. Just at the mention of the name, Hikaru was ready to go right back to Ageha.

"Hikaru... She promises that if your attitude towards her doesn't change after today she'll move away."

He didn't give a damn about it but he could very easily read the desperation in his brother's eyes. After running his fingers through his hair he agreed. Kaoru's eyes lit up and he held his brother tightly. Right after he grabbed onto his hand, he led him over to the door. As Hikaru put sandals on, not wanting to mess with his still weak ankle, Kaoru ordered their maids to keep an eye on their sister. Right after the sandals were on, they were outside. There, they saw a small red car waiting for them. The windows were tinted so they couldn't see the interior from the exterior. After the two approached it, Kaoru opened the door for his twin. Letting out a deep sigh, Hikaru got inside. His eyes went directly to the driver. Celeste was just sitting there, paying no mind to them even though she was obviously waiting for them. He looked for any expression from her but it was difficult. She had sunglasses on and the rest of her face was motionless. Even as she began to drive, he couldn't find any emotion. His gaze drifted off to the rest of the interior. Nearly everything was black. He almost felt like he was in his own family car. Only real difference is that he's never felt tension like this in his own. Nearly half an hour of pure silence passed. Both of the brothers felt a chill run down their spine as the car was finally parked. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine they'd find themselves about to enter a prison.


	7. Confession

Dumbfounded. No other word could describe how Hikaru and Kaoru felt. They were side by side in metal folding chairs. In front of them was a rectangular table made out of similar material. On the opposite side of the table sat an impatient redhead. They would have sworn it was the same female that brought them to this penitentiary but they knew full well that she was outside of the visiting room talking with the guard who led them to the room. This was a copy, a clone, a twin... Even if they didn't know where she was it didn't matter. There were too many differences however. Her hair was cut up to just above her shoulders, holding a greasy reflection with the fluorescent light. Her skin was covered in miscellaneous tattoos. Her eyebrows and nose were pierced, along with her ears having multiple piercings. A smirk played on her lips as the boys visibly looked uncomfortable before even a single word was exchanged. That single movement was almost too much for the younger. It reminded him way too much of the time he caught Masaru in the act. Hikaru could sense that and so he held onto his hand.

"You two are still up to that crap?" the female asked, completely disgusted.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru calmly asked back.

Her eyes rolled before she answered, "seriously. How the hell can you two stand each other?"

Tightening his grasp on his brother's hand, he answered, "because we're brothers."

"Ah cut the crap! You can't expect me to actually believe that bullshit do you?"

"What happened between the two of you?" Kaoru asked softly.

"Nothing. I just could never stand her."

"She's your twin!" Hikaru exclaimed, beginning to lose his cool.

"So what? What are you getting so excited over?"

"How can you not care about your own sister..?" Kaoru whispered.

"It's easier than you think."

"You're heartless..."

"Oh ouch, that hurt."

"So it was you then. You were the one trying to hurt us in middle school," Hikaru spoke, really holding himself back from simply hitting a girl for the first time.

"A round of applause for the idiots. You figured it all out."

"How is it possible..?"

An obviously fake yawn escaped her. Kaoru didn't know how much more he could take. Glancing over at the door, he saw the redhead that he has become fond of. She was simply leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. Her arms crossed over her chest. The other took notice of that and turned around in her seat. Right when he eyes landed on her sister, she lost all touch to reality. She pounced right off her chair and charged for her sister. Just before she could reach her, guards swarmed her.

"Why are you still alive!" Celeste kept leaning against the wall, completely unfazed. Just before being tased, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "WHY HASN'T MASARU KILLED YOU YET!"

Kaoru watched as Celeste's eyes widened as much as they could. Running on autopilot, he jumped off the chair and quickly went over to her. Before he could say anything however, she shook off her shock. Without saying a single word, she left the room. Before following, he looked back at his brother who was watching the limp girl being strapped down. Grabbing onto his hand, he dragged him out of the room. Pushing through the front door, the twins took notice to the red car already at the front waiting for them. Once they approached it, Kaoru opened the back door. As soon as the two were in and the door was shut, they were back on the road. It wasn't a minute later Hikaru pulled Kaoru over to him. Kaoru's arms were pinned down so all he could do was rest his head on his brother's chest. Their eyes were locked on what had just occurred. In just a couple of minutes, their outlook on the entire situation became completely twisted.

Celeste, easily reading the expression in the elder's eyes, spoke up in a monotone voice, "yes, this could have easily been you."

The two looked at her right away. She didn't say anything after that. She was completely focused on the road. Kaoru look for any type of expression from her but he just couldn't find anything. Her eyes were hidden behind her sunglasses. Before looking away from her, he took notice to her hands. They were grasping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white. A small frown played on his lips. Not another word was spoken the rest of the drive. It ended when the car parked right outside of the Hitachiin manor. It was obvious that she had zero intention to get out of the car. She didn't move after putting the car into neutral. Hikaru's arms slowly fell from his brother. He opened the door and got out of the car. When he noticed his brother didn't follow him, he looked back in curiously. His eyes saddened a bit when he saw his eyes locked on the motionless girl. In knowing he wasn't going to get out for awhile, he went ahead and shut the door.

"Celeste..?" Kaoru whispered.

She showed him no sign that she even heard him. Frowning, he maneuvered enough so that he was now sitting in the front passenger's seat. He called out to her again but still didn't get a response. Reaching over, he rested his hand on hers. All she did was tighten her grasp on the wheel even further. He just watched her. He had no idea what to do. Just as he was about to give up, a small curse escaped her mouth. With her free hand, she rubbed her cheek that wasn't visible to him. Having a sinking suspicion, he carefully took the sunglasses off of her. Just as he witnessed in the previous night, her eyes were full of hatred. But now, they're completely bloodshot. Before he could attempt to console her, she looked at him with the hatred not fading in the least. He had absolutely no idea what to do. Soon, a thick layer of tears covered her eyes. In not wanting him to see her a complete mess, she rested her forehead on the wheel. In knowing that she would be unable to drive for a little while, she went ahead and just turned off the car.

"You... You have no idea..." she barely got herself to whisper. When he didn't say anything, she turned her head so that she could look at him again. "I want to hit you so hard right now..."

"Why?" he asked softly.

Silence took over rapidly. The more she looked at him through blurred vision, the angrier she became until she simply snapped. She hit the dashboard with all she had with her already clenched fist. Kaoru couldn't help but jump. The shock faded when he looked back at her. Tears were streaming from her closed eyes. Her jaw was clenched tightly. Unable to witness her like this anymore, he pulled her to him. She fell right into his chest. His left arm wrapped securely around her waist. With his right hand, he picked up her lethal one. It was still clenched in a tight ball. He studied the metal brace on her finger. Scanning her finger through the cracks, he could tell that it wasn't near as bad as before. There was enough of a sprain there for that punch to hurt though.

"Hey... Just go ahead and hit me next time okay?" he began. "I'm softer than plastic."

A bitter smirk appeared on her face as she responded with, "it was hitting your brother that caused the sprain in the first place... Besides..."

"Hmm?"

Since he was still holding onto her hand, she weakly grasped onto his as she continued, "I could never get myself to hurt you..."

"Celeste..."

"You know... Not counting me crushing you under my foot..."

A small chuckle emitted from his throat. "Silly girl..." he whispered afterwards.

"I still can't believe it... All of them... Every one of my problems originates from that bitch..." When he looked down at her in shock she assured him, "why do you think she's in jail Kaoru?"

"...I have no idea."

"She had been trying to kill me for years... I don't know how my parents didn't go insane from it all... Their own daughter is in prison because she tried to kill their other daughter..."

"I'm sorry..."

She groaned lightly before saying, "man... This means I can't blame Hikaru anymore... It was so easy to be angry at him..."

He let go of her and easily pushed her away from him. He frowned when he studied her face. He expected her to cry right after he held her but she didn't do such. Now, her eyes are a little red but not near as bad as just a short while ago. When she arched her left eyebrow at him, he pulled her tightly against him. Her arms snaked around his shoulders.

"I am jealous though..." she spoke softer. "I'm so envious of yours and Hikaru's bond... I don't dare even admit that I have a twin or they'll assume I'll end up just like her... It's already happened before..."

Before he allowed her to continue talking, he once again pushed her away. He had thought his shoulder was getting moist. He realized his suspicions were accurate when he saw fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. When his eyes simply filled with sadness, she buried her face in her hands. She didn't want him to see her such a mess. He called out to her but all she did was shake her head at him. His hands found themselves right on top of hers. She let him take control of her hands. In exchange, she just let her head hang. In knowing she wasn't going to be moving on her own for awhile, he took the time to study her hands. The brace stood out right away. He wanted to get it off her but had a feeling that she wouldn't be willing to follow him into his home. Something else grabbed his attention. He took note of the multiple cuts she inflicted upon herself when she was cutting up the fish last night. Anger was now quickly taking over his senses. He could only imagine what Hikaru must have done by now if he was in this position. Before he could dwell too deeply into that thought, she grasped onto his hands tightly. His heart ached when he saw a tear fall onto her lap. He tried to apologize to her but she wouldn't accept it.

"You have nothing to be sorry for... You've been nothing but good to me..." she forced herself to say.

Even with her still holding his hands, he held onto her face. He forced her to raise her head so that she could look at him. Her vision of him is now blurry. With his chest and throat tightening, he didn't know how much more of seeing her like this he could take. He was at his breaking point. That point disintegrated when she mentioned how he must be worried about his brother. He leaned over and gently pressed his lips against her quivering ones. Her eyes were wide for only but a moment. She returned the favor shortly after. Terror instantly filled the teenagers. Just as she made contact with him, her phone began to ring. They were completely frozen. They both knew exactly who was calling and they knew that no matter how long they wait, the phone would keep ringing. She backed away from the kiss allowed her head fall enough so that her forehead was resting on his chin. Despite how badly her hand was shaking, she was able to pull it out of her pocket. Strong arms wrapped around her waist as she answered the call. Not ten seconds passed, she threw the phone to the back of the car. Before being able to question her, Kaoru was being pushed to leave the car. Before he did, he grabbed onto her hand. He didn't want her suddenly driving off right when he got out of the car. Before following him, she picked up a black bag. As soon as the two were out of the car, she kicked the door shut. He tightened his grasp on her hand, signaling that he was really ready to go inside. She nodded and the two walked swiftly up to the door. Just before his hand reached the doorknob, the door opened.

"What the hell happened?" Hikaru asked concerned after shutting the door behind the two.

"He bugged her car..." Kaoru muttered angrily.

"Shit..."

"I can't breathe..." Celeste weakly spoke.

The brothers looked at her worried. She was on the verge of hyperventilating. Just before her knees gave out of her, Kaoru picked her up. He walked further into the manor. In entering the living area, he sat down on the biggest of the three couches. Once he was settled, he looked down at the panicked girl. She was pale, shaking horribly, and still trying to catch her breath. His arms were tight around her. He had absolutely no idea what else to do then try to make her feel as safe as possible. Despite how badly her hands were shaking, she opened up her dark bag. He watched her carefully as she searched through it. Soon, she pulled out a pill bottle. Frustration took over when she couldn't seem to get the top off. In not wanting her to just get worse, he took it from her. Before anything, he looked at the label. He frowned when he realized it was an anti-anxiety medication. Hikaru mentioned he would get water for her just before leaving the room. Kaoru went ahead and took a pill out of the bottle. The terrorized girl took the closed bottle from him afterwards and put it back in the bag. Hikaru was soon back into the room.

"Here," he said, handing out the glass of water.

The younger brother took it, knowing that she had a great chance of just letting it slip through her fingers. From there, he slipped the medicine into her mouth and then brought the glass up to her lips. She took the glass from him, holding it with both of her hands. The glass never left her mouth until it was empty. When she finished it, she let out a shaky sigh. He took it from her when she lowered it and simply placed it on the end table. While he was reaching over, she snuggled into his chest. He let out the tiniest smile before wrapping his arm back around her.

"Mother and Father aren't home," Hikaru spoke as he reentered the room. "They took Ageha with them too."

"Was wondering why it's so quiet," Kaoru said.

Hikaru let out a deep sigh before sitting down next to his brother. He wrapped his arm around his shoulders before asking, "so... What exactly did you to do?" When he noticed the faint blush on his cheek bones he became intrigued and so he asked, "well?"

"I don't see it as being any of your business..." Celeste spoke softly.

Both of them looked down at her surprised. She didn't move from where she was besides wrapping her arms around Kaoru's waist. Soon the hugged boy smiled and tightened his grasp on her.

"I'm getting really sleepy really fast..." she whispered.

"You have been though a lot. Go ahead and get some rest. I won't let go of you," he told her soothingly.

"Then don't be afraid to wake me up if something happens..."

"Got it."

* * *

Celeste woke up from a pain that surged though her entire body. Mainly her head was aching. Before she could figure out what happened on her own, she was sat up. She looked behind her right away see a half amused Tamaki. She just watched him completely confused. He offered his hand to her and she took it. Once she was on her feet, she took a moment to take in her surroundings. They were no longer in the Hitachiin residence. She had no idea where they were. That's not what surprised her though. The entire host club was there. Nearly all of their eyes were on her. The one who wasn't watching her was Kaoru. He was asleep on a small couch. Seeing that he was lying on his side curled up made everything clear to her. He must have been still holding her, until he rolled over and simply dropped her onto the floor.

"Can't put too much fault into him then..." she muttered to herself.

"Hey Cel-chan?" a voice called out to her.

Just as she looked over, Honey jumped onto her. His arms were around her next and his legs were tight on her torso. She looked at him confused before asking, "what is it?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Pretty much just emotionally drained right now."

He frowned and tightened his grasp on her. In the process, he rested his chin on her shoulder. "Ah," he began when he noticed something. "Kao-chan's waking up."

She blinked in confusion and turned around seeing Kaoru was stirring. A couple moments later, she simply burst out laughing. Everyone looked at her confused. She was laughing so hard that she went ahead and sat on the floor. Honey got off her and just stood in front of her. When she was able to get herself to speak again, she asked for paper and something to write with. Tamaki volunteered to find the items just before leaving the room. More awake now, Kaoru reached over and held onto the girl's face. She held onto his hands still laughing. Tamaki soon was back in the room and handed Celeste what she asked for. She took them and quickly began drawing. Her laughing had ceased but was still giggling a bit. Everyone just watched her curiously. Once she was done, she showed the drawing to solely Kaoru. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Think about it," she told him with a wide smile.

It didn't take him long. He let his head just hang when he figured it out. "Really?" he mumbled.

"Really," she answered, not losing her amusement.

Even though he was still lying down, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her onto the couch. It would have been an amazing task by him if their heads didn't collide. They both groaned lightly in pain and held their heads. It didn't take too long for the pain to fade. When it did, there was laughter from the other side of the room. The two looked over seeing the others looking at her drawing. Kaoru pouted lightly but still held onto her. In fact, he even wrapped his legs around her.

"It was worth hearing you laugh... But please... Don't draw my hair on anymore cows," he pleaded with her.

She chuckled softly before saying, " okay okay. You have to admit though, it is funny."

He smirked as he agreed, "yeah... Okay."

"Hey Celeste?" a once again calm Tamaki called out to her.

"Hmm? Yeah?" she answered, looking over at him.

"How does my offer seem now?"

"Can you run it by me again?"

"Transfer back to Ouran."

"Really? I thought for sure you would want an undercover spy at Lobelia," she said half sarcastically.

He walked over to the couch and kneeled down in front of it. She could very easily read the concern in his eyes, killing all of her amusement. "Celeste, seriously think about it for a minute. At Ouran you won't be alone. He'll never have a chance to get you."

She let out a sigh that sent signals to Kaoru. He sat up, bringing her with him. Making her look at him he asked, "what is it?"

A bitter smile crossed her face as she told him, "according to recent events and everything my brother has told me, it's only at night that he takes me. He never tries when the sun is up no matter the situation."

"Well," Tamaki began again causing her to look back at him. "There's a room here that would be perfect for you. I know it's not home for you but you'll be safe in there until he's caught."

"What do you mean by 'a room perfect for me'?"

He handed his hand out to her saying, "let me show you."

Kaoru let go of her and gently pushed onto her back. In not having much of a choice, she took his hand. Once she was back on her feet, the two left the room. Kaoru let out a sigh and leaned over so his head would land on his brother's shoulder. He wanted to talk to him but couldn't seem to get his jaw to move in the slightest. So, he was glad when his upperclassmen spoke up for him.

"Hikaru, you do realize that you are her main reason for hesitation to return. Correct?" Kyoya asked him.

"Yeah Hika-chan. Cel-chan's a nice girl that really needs our help. Just apologize to her already," Honey added.

The twins looked at each other. Hikaru knew they were right and it was the correct thing to do but it's really difficult for him to admit being wrong for so long. Kaoru simply smiled at his frustration and ruffled his hair. Right after, Tamaki and Celeste came back into the room. Kaoru felt hopeful when he noticed that she was seriously thinking everything though. She sat down next to him.

"Celeste," Kyoya called out to her. When they made eye contact he told her, "there's an ice rink at Ouran."

Her eye immediately lit up. Everyone just smiled at that, even the elder twin. Kaoru wrapped his arm around her waist and raised her chin so she'd look at him. Her emerald gaze was instantly trapped in his golden gaze. When he asked her to transfer, all her objections simply vanished. With a simply nod, she made everyone ecstatic. Kaoru couldn't help but kiss her in front of all of their friends. Even if that's the reason that has made all hell begin to break lose, Celeste couldn't help but smile.


	8. Chef Cel

Kaoru woke up with a start. His eyes darted to the window, only to see that a tree branch had knocked on the window. Even though he was struggling a bit, he forced himself out of bed. His feet shuffled over to the window. Once there, he rested his warm forehead on the glass. He found it soothing enough to stay that way as he gazed outside. Inches of fluffy, white snow covered everything on the property. And more is constantly added. No matter how hard the sun tried, it couldn't fully break through the thick, grey clouds. Nothing else was visible with the falling snow blocking his vision. When he felt that his forehead got cold enough, he made his way back to bed. It amazed him how quickly the past couple of months have simply flown by. Since he revealed his feelings to Celeste, life has simply been amazing. No one has seen or heard a single sign of Masaru since he called her. Even so, she continues to live at Tamaki's. With her room having a bolt lock on the door and not a single window, he can sleep at ease knowing that she's safe. Even so, he would call her every single night just before going to sleep. It didn't take long for their friends to get sick of how cute the two were together. Because of this, they were exiled to her room. They only stuck to each other's sides because for nine hours each day, not counting club activities, they barely made contact at all. Just being sure not to jeopardize his role as a host, the two decided to simply try to keep out of each other's ways. When the host club was in session, Celeste would spend her time on the ice rink. And so when there are no other eyes on them to judge, they can't get enough of each other. Kaoru can't put to words the joy he felt when his brother finally apologized. It took him quite awhile to do so but since then they've gotten along pretty decently. What made him truly happy, though, was her smile. Her attitude went one eighty since they hooked up. He wouldn't have believed her past was full of demons if he didn't witness them firsthand. It was only a couple of days until she was comfortable on her skates again. In the beginning, he would sneak away from his club to visit her, in knowing she would get frustrated. He couldn't skate for the life of him but he was able to give her the advice she needed. When she was finally able to land properly, she pounced on him right in the club room. It was then their friends got sick of seeing the two of them like that. Since then, her skills rapidly increased. So quickly in fact that just a couple weeks ago, she left for a competition. She left early so that she would have full days to train with her trainer so that she'd be ready. It amazed him how badly he missed her.

"What are you doing right now?" he pondered.

"Wondering why I had to wait for Hikaru to find out about your fever."

Hesitantly, he turned his head. Right as he met an emerald gaze, he sat straight up. That was a mistake for him however. He was on his way to crash back onto the bed from dizziness, but arms just stopped him from doing so. He let his eyes shut to stop the room from spinning on him. She lifted him up a bit more so that she could sit on the bed. As soon as she was settled, she let him rest on her. Once his breath was steady again, he reopened his eyes. He raised his head to see Celeste looked down at him. Overwhelmed by joy, he buried his face in her chest and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She tightened her grasp on him as she whispered, "you're burning up…"

"Feel like crap…" he muttered.

"You should have told me you were sick. I would have been back long before now if I knew."

"I didn't want you to worry… Besides that I didn't want you to miss out on anything for your skating…"

"Man, I didn't nothing but feel like crap the past few days. Freaking nerves took over me and I fell on my ass in front of so many people…"

"Awe… Your poor ass."

"… Shut up."

He chuckled a bit, simply glad to have her back. The laugh changed when he began to cough harshly. He turned his head away from her so that he wouldn't cover her in germs. She felt completely helpless as she witnessed how cruddy he truly felt. When he stopped, he let his head fall back onto her chest with a small groan. It wasn't long after that he was back to sleep.

* * *

A couple of hour later, Celeste found herself in the kitchen. Thanks to her weak will to Kaoru's version of puppy dog eyes, she found herself making soup for him. He was sitting at a cabinet, unable to take his eyes off her. She was wearing a dark green dress that went down to her knees. On the dress was a wide brown belt that wrapped perfectly around her waist. When the two made it downstairs from his room he saw a matching pair of boots that she had to have been wearing. She tied her hair so it wouldn't get in the way while cooking. She was taking his breath away.

"Cel!"

The lovebirds looked over at an entrance to the kitchen. There they saw the miniaturized, female version of the twins. She ran straight to the cook when she kneeled down. In the past couple months, the two have bonded greatly. They might as well have been sisters. In needing to stand back up, Ageha crawled up on Celeste's back. The two happily caught up as she continued cooking. It wasn't long until the soup was finished. She served a bowlful to the ill boy but there was something off about him. His eyes were focused on one spot and not moving. He was completely zoned out. Concerned, she rested her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. He was warmer than her but not by much. The contact brought him back to reality. He raised his head and looked at her. She watched him, simply puzzled. Before she knew it, she found herself in his embrace.

"Kaoru?" she questioned softly.

In an even softer voice he whispered, "I love you..."

She backed her face away from his collar bone and looked up at him. He stared back down at her. His eyes couldn't be more serious. When she was able to find her voice she said, "baka..."

"W-what?" he stuttered, really unsure of what to do.

Gently, she patted his cheeks while saying, "you make me want to kiss you but you're sick."

His grasp on her doubled, which just made her laugh. Since they were so close, Ageha used the opportunity to move on Kaoru's shoulders. The two looked at the little monkey and she stared right back with her usual blank stare. Just a few seconds later she reminded him about the soup. He simply nodded and sat back down. Right after tasting a spoonful, waterfalls of tears spilled from his eyes. She began to believe her cooking was disastrous. That thought vanished when he pulled her to him and rubbed his head against her stomach.

"It's delicious!" he cried happily.

While laughing lightly she said, "I'm glad I made the boy I love happy."

He looked up at her as she ruffled his hair. While tightening his grasp on her waist, he buried his face in her stomach. After holding onto his head, she looked at his little sister. When offering her some food, she readily agreed. Kaoru let go of her so that she could make her way back to the stove. When the bowl she was making for Ageha was halfway full, her brother suddenly had a coughing fit. She quickly finished the bowl and brought it over for the girl. Ageha climbed off her brother so that she could take the seat next to him. After placing the bowl in front of her, Celeste looked at Kaoru. His couching was near ceased but his face was beet red. She rested her hand on his back to get his attention, but he wouldn't look at her. Instead, he ate silently. Before she could verbally question him, she could feel multiple sets of eyes on her. As soon as she turned around, weight was added to her torso. After making sure to not fall onto her ass once again, she looked at the culprit. A smile spread across her lips when she saw the beaming Honey.

"You look so cute Cel-chan!" he exclaimed.

While chuckling she responded, "thanks."

"What smells so good?"

"I made some soup for the sick boy."

"Oh! Is there any left?!" he acted excitedly.

"I'll give you some if you calm down. Deal?"

He smiled widely before agreeing. She looked behind him seeing nearly the rest of the host club, Haruhi and Kyoya weren't there. They all had a hungry look about them. She couldn't help but smile at their expressions. She was just glad that the recipe she uses makes a lot. While she was filling bowls for the rest of the hosts, she heard a small commotion behind her. She turned around, seeing Kaoru with his hand over Ageha's mouth. Not only that but his face was red again while Hikaru, who was right next to him, was grinning from ear to ear. Since she was still getting their food she couldn't watch long, but her curiosity was growing rapidly. By the time everyone had a bowl, there was little to none left. Even though it was very odd for the group, they ate in the kitchen as well. Celeste, who had eaten before arriving at the Hitachiin's, didn't mind not having any herself. Just wanting to relax now, she lifted herself up onto the counter and sat right next to the very silent Kaoru. For awhile, the group enjoyed each other's company. It wasn't a surprise to anyone when they realized more than two hours passed by. They only realized it when Honey and Celeste were showing signs that they were tired. Celeste was ready to leave with Tamaki. At least until her hand was grabbed. She turned around seeing a pouty Kaoru with flushed cheekbones and nose. When she looked at him confused, he pulled her to him.

"Can't you stay just tonight?" he asked softly.

"What? Why? What about Hikaru?" she asked back.

"I already talked to him about it."

"Will you tell me what your sister said that freaked you out?"

"..."

"Kaoru?"

"Okay, fine..." She turned away so that she looked back at Tamaki. She simply told him, "guess I'm stuck here for the night."

"Hey, don't say it like that," Kaoru complained.

Tamaki ruffled her hair with a small smile while saying, "I'll see you later then."

"Stay warm."

He nodded and left. Right after the door was shut, Kaoru held onto her tightly. She couldn't help but laugh at how happy he was. It wasn't long at all until they were back upstairs and in his room. He explained on the way that his sister would put up with Hikaru. When the two were back in his room, he shut the door behind her. Right as they found themselves alone, he held her close.

"So... What did she say?" Celeste calmly asked him. Instead of answering, he looked for any type of distraction. Just as he took a single step away from her, she grabbed onto the front of his shirt. "Kaoru," she questioned in a more demanding tone.

"I- I don't want it to bother you..." he mumbled.

"Whatever a four year old girl said can't be that bad."

He directed his eyes away from her as he mumbled again. This time she couldn't understand him whatsoever. She let him know that and so after clearing his throat he spoke, "she asked me when we're going to be married..." With a blank expression, she flicked his forehead. "Hey!" he complained, covering it with his hands.

"Stop influencing your sister. She knows too much for the age she is."

He didn't seem to hear that at all. He just pouted about being hit as he made his way to his bed. Her eyebrow arched as she watched him. He lied down on his side so his back was to her. After watching him surprised for a couple moments, she walked over to the bed. A small grunt escaped him when she sat right on his side. As he looked up at her with a confused, pouty expression, she looked down at him very calmly. It wasn't long until he traded his pout for irritation. He rolled over onto his back, resulting in her falling onto her back. Not a second later he had her pinned down.

"What happened to your sickness?" she asked him.

As if on cue, he turned his head to sneeze. The sneeze followed up by three others. When he was able to stop, he got right back off her to grab a tissue. Feeling like she completely jinxed him, she sat up and held onto him. He turned his head to look back at her. His face was completely flushed, filling her with concern. She tightened her grasp on him and kissed his cheek. Before she could tend to him further, there was a knock on the door. Soon after, Hikaru entered the room carrying a laptop. His expression set alarms off for Celeste and Kaoru. He sat down next to them on the bed and handed his brother the computer with a very uncertain expression. He took the computer and rested it on his lap. After a bit of hesitation, he lifted the lid of it. Instantly the couple became pale. Even more than that, Celeste had to run straight to their bathroom and simply puke from what she saw.


	9. Casulity

Kaoru hasn't seen Celeste since she walked home the evening that she returned. Can't say he's surprised. After seeing that article, he was surprised she didn't pass out. His heart ached as he thought about how guilt ridden she must feel. It now made sense of why they hadn't seen or heard any sign of Masaru. But, they didn't expect that he'd prey on younger girls. Not only did he get caught raping another, the child was murdered in cold blood. He almost didn't want to know her thought process right now. Even so, he found himself back at the Kasanoda residence. Ritsu explained to him about her current condition. Since she came home, she hasn't talked, eaten, or slept in the very least. Even though her form is right there, she's not really there. All she does is lie on the snow covered roof and allow snow to pile on top of her. If it wasn't for her striking hair, she would easily vanish. Her family has taken her inside multiple times. No matter how she was locked up, she always found a way to make it back to the roof. It was only a matter of time until something horrible happened to her health. Everyone had a sinking suspicion that her reasoning was for her to get punished. Everyone was clueless of what to do. What can you do? Kaoru sure had no idea. Despite that, he was determined to find a way. After being showed how to do it, he climbed up onto the roof. The emotionless girl stood out to him right away. Something was strange about her though. Her back was to him but even so, she seemed quite alert. He couldn't tell what she was doing but she was definitely moving around. He tried to call out to her, but she didn't seem to hear him. Slowly, he made his way over to her. He sat down when he reached her. Right then he found an unexpected pair of eyes staring at him. He felt like his soul was being searched. Hesitantly, he raised his hand to the creature's nose. Small paws grabbed onto it. He was a bit surprised when he was bitten but it wasn't hard enough to break the skin. Unless he was simply being tenderized, he figured it was just experimenting on how much of a threat he was. When it was satisfied, it let him go and curled back into Celeste's embrace.

"Celeste?" Kaoru softly called to her.

He wasn't surprised when she didn't respond. Even so, he just talked. He believed that even if she wasn't responding that she would listen to him. He talked about everything except what brought her to this state. It was unclear how much time passed, but when the sky began to darken he decided it was time for them to go inside. Getting her to agree is a challenge though. He didn't want to just force her. He couldn't seem to figure out a way though. Just as he was getting ready to pick her up, she let her weight fall against him. He held onto her tightly. She still had a completely blank expression but with this he was able to tell that she was indeed aware of what was going on around her. He tried once again to coax her to go inside. His eyes carefully watched her as she stood up. He had no idea what she was going to do so when she simply jumped off the roof he got a heart attack. He leaned over the edge to see the damage. A shaky sigh escaped his lips when he noticed that she landed perfectly. She went inside shortly after. Not daring to make the jump himself, he climbed down the ladder on the other side of the roof. As soon as he reentered the home, he heard concerned voices. By following the voices, he ended up in the living area. There he saw the entire Kasanoda family. Celeste's mother forced her to sit on the couch. She sat down next to her with her father on the other side. Ritsu was sitting in a nearby chair. It looked like an intervention. No matter how much they tried to get her attention though, she didn't change in the least. No matter how much he wanted to help, Kaoru kept his distance. He was standing in the doorway. The creature in the silent girl's arms took notice to the sullen boy. It squirmed to escape and walked over to him. Right as it reached him, it climbed up him quickly. He had no idea what to do and so he stayed absolutely still. As he felt his hair being moved, his shoulder was grabbed. He looked over seeing Ritsu. In understanding what he wanted, they left the room.

"How did you get her to come back inside on her own?" Ritsu asked amazed.

"I don't know. I was surprised when she did," Kaoru answered.

Sighing deeply, the overly worried brother leaned against the wall. "I've never seen her like this before..." he spoke solemnly.

"She believes that all this is her fault. I'm overly relieved that she's not hurting herself."

"She was doing so well too... Damn him..."

"Yeah..."

After a little pause, he Ritsu spoke up again, "that red panda really likes you."

"You know where it came from?"

"Not sure, just saw Celeste with it yesterday. This is the first time I haven't seen it at her side."

The panda seemed to have gotten sick of him. It jumped off him and left the room. When it walked through a different door entrance, Kaoru assumed that Celeste went to her room. After waving to her brother, he followed the small animal. Indeed it went straight to her room. However, he didn't see her right away. The creature was simply exploring her room. He stopped watching it when he began to look for her. When he began to hear running water, he entered the bathroom. After turning the light on, he took notice to the shower curtain fully encircling her tub. Even though he at least assumed she was taking a shower, he wouldn't leave the room. He wanted to be as close to her as possible. As the minutes passed by, something began to seem odd to him. The sound of the water flowing didn't change at all. Not just that. He couldn't feel any heat. He didn't want to just open the curtain to check on her though. As he struggled though his choices, he heard a loud thump. Greatly concerned, he went ahead and looked into the shower. His eyes widened instantly when he saw the fully clothed girl passed out. She was soaked to the bone with ice cold water.

"Kasanoda!"

* * *

Kaoru found himself simply exhausted after completing his tests. Because of how he was sick in the previous week, only had today to take them all unless he wanted to wait till after winter break to take them. He's been leaning against Hikaru, who waited for him, since he left the classroom. He was envious of Celeste who was able to take her tests extra early because of her leaving for her competition. Thinking that though, made him feel horrible. After she passed out, she hasn't stirred in the least. He always keeps his phone right near him in hopes that her brother will call him. He hasn't seen her since then because he's been cramming nonstop the past few days. On the way home, he couldn't help but fall asleep. When they arrived home, Hikaru had to carry him in. After dropping him on the smaller couch, he plopped down on the bigger. From there he just played on his phone. Time slowly rolled by. He quickly grew bored and so when a maid said a friend of his was at the door, he became intrigued. Jumping off the couch, he made his way over to there. He blinked in surprise when he saw Ritsu with Celeste. He let them enter and the door was shut behind them. Their coats were taken off just before they were led into the living room. The siblings took notice to the resting boy instantly. Celeste walked over to the couch and sat down on the floor in front of it. She just watched him. Hikaru sat back down where he just was and Ritsu sat next to him.

"Why are you guys so quiet?" Hikaru pondered.

After sighing deeply, Ritsu answered, "she lost her voice. Finding out what happened was too much for her psyche."

"Damn..."

"She wanted to see Kaoru. I just didn't want her to go alone, that's why I'm here."

"Well, he just fell asleep. He just finished his tests so I can't say how long he'll be out."

"I... don't think she minds."

The two looked over at her, seeing that her eyes were locked on Kaoru. In speaking up, Hikaru told her, "you can go ahead and wake him up. He won't mind."

Even though she was told this, she stayed absolutely still. In just not wanting him to sulk anymore than he has to, Hikaru picked up a pillow and threw it at his brother. All he did though was groan and roll onto his back. However, when a second pillow landed right on his face he couldn't stay asleep. He picked it off his face and threw it right back at him. In knowing his brother, he threw for a third time to make him annoyed enough to open his eyes. He sat up and looked at the aggressor annoyed. All he got was a smirk back though. Soon enough he gave up and he simply crashed back down. Just before falling asleep, he realized something was off. Why would Celeste's brother be here? He reopened his heavy eyelids as his curiosity grew. This time he noticed red out of the corner of his eye. Right as he noticed the watchful female, his heart simply raced. He wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders and rested his head against hers. She weakly grasped onto his sleeves. The side males decided to leave them alone and so they left the room. Mainly using gravity, Kaoru got off the couch to sit on the floor with her. From there he held her face and examined her. She simply looked frail. As soon as his eyes began to water, he lowered his head. Before he collapsed against her, she pushed him enough to signal to go back on the couch. He picked her up as he stood. As soon as he was back on the couch, he tightened his grasp on her as much as he could without hurting her.

"If I get gray hairs before Hikaru, he's going to kill you..." he whispered.

She pressed her lips against his. After studying her eyes for a moment, he kissed her firmly. A weak smile curved her lips. After kissing her one more time, he lied back down, bringing her with him. Shortly after securing his arms around her, he was back asleep. She found herself able to relax for the first time in days. With his warmth surrounding her and his strong heartbeat right under her ear were very soothing to her. Within minutes, she followed him into slumber land.

* * *

The following day, the twins received a phone call from none other than Honey. They readily accepted an invitation to his winter home. Celeste watched amazed at how the two got ready at light speed. Right as they finished, the tiny blond came bouncing in. Right as he noticed the ginger, he sat down next to her. He smiled widely up at her when she looked down at him. Before there was any further interaction, she found herself airborne. Looking at the excited Kaoru just made her smile. He brought her over to the front door before setting her back down on her feet. They all slipped their shoes on and put on their coats. Right after her arms went through the sleeves, Honey held onto her hand and pulled her outside with him. When she got herself stable enough to not face plant into the snow, she took note to the awaiting limo. The driver opened the back door for them. The small boy went ahead and jumped inside. Thing is... with his grasp still on her hand, it wasn't a surprise when her head collided with the doorframe. Besides her own wince, she heard multiple others from inside the vehicle. It wasn't long at all for Kaoru to be at her side. After he made sure she wasn't bleeding he helped her sit inside. The twins followed shortly after. When Celeste could open her eyes again, she took notice to everyone there. The entire host club was present and accounted for. Honey was watching her sadly from the seat across from her. When she noticed that, she just stared right back at him.

"I'm sorry Cel-chan..." he pouted.

She just smiled a bit and shook her head, letting him know it was alright. He smiled just as widely and his attention was brought back to his cousin. It wasn't long at all she began to feel that she didn't belong. Even if she had her voice at this point she wouldn't be using it. Everyone was in their own conversation. Suddenly all she wanted to do was be at home with her family. Her thoughts altered when an arm snaked around her waist. Right as she looked at Kaoru, he rested his forehead on hers.

"Get rid of those thoughts," he whispered. When she looked at him confused he simply smiled saying, "I know you." A small sigh escaped her and she moved her head so that she could rest it on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head before continuing to whisper, "trust me, it'll be better when we get there."


	10. Contact

"Is this your way of making it better?" Celeste asked in a very scratchy voice.

Kaoru chuckled softly and answered, "maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Did bring your voice back."

"You're proud of that, aren't you?"

A smile spread across his lips as he answered, "very much so yes."

"... I still haven't lost my anger towards Hikaru."

He pouted and tightened his grasp on her saying, "I won't let go of you then."

"Really though... Did I do something to piss you guys off?"

"No. I think you just walked under a ladder while breaking a mirror and a black cat passed you by."

"Too bad I don't have memory of that."

She can remember the past day and a half though. When the group arrived at Honey's winter wonderland, half the group was anxious to enjoy themselves. They were nearly bouncing off the walls, while the other half were calm enough. As soon as the limo parked, everyone got out. As the majority was gazing at the scenery, Mori and Honey went to get the bags out of the trunk. Soon after it was opened, Celeste nearly lost her balance. The mysterious red panda pounced right out of the trunk and onto her. Being completely distracted by the creature, she paid no attention to the host member that easily towered over her. That went vice versa because when he was able to pull out a bag that was lodged inside, his elbow collided with her nose. Staggered, she took a couple steps backwards. As she attempted to rest her third step on the ground, she stumbled over Tamaki's feet. Everyone simply watched surprised as she quickly fell, with her head falling onto a tree root with a loud thud. Kaoru was instantly at her side. He helped her back onto her feet and with Honey leading, brought her inside. Now, if things ended there, things wouldn't have been so bad. Things... just don't work out that way though. As soon as she was well enough again, she joined the others who were enjoying the outdoors. She had to insist for Kaoru to leave her side so that he could play with the others. She simply sat on a bench with the red panda curled on her lap. Kyoya ended up sitting with her since he had no intention to join the others in their snowball fight. He was just as quiet as she was but she didn't mind. She was glad that she wasn't the only one on the sidelines. As she observed the fight, she took notice of an awkwardness from her favorite twin. She realized that he knew that she was watching him. Hikaru had taken notice shortly after and began to tease him about it. To help cool off his burning cheeks, he threw a snowball at him. Kaoru was able to avoid it. The projectile headed for a new target and made a crazy spin upwards to make it, making it collide with a large branch. Before they knew it, Kyoya and Celeste were covered in a blanket of snow. Everyone went over to them to help them escape. When the two were nearly free, there was a loud crunch that silenced the entire group. Completely terrified, Hikaru lifted his foot only to see Kyoya's crushed glasses. Not two seconds later he ran for his life inside the large cottage. Kyoya, from then on, had kept his eye out for him. As for Celeste however, with everything already having happened she was giving everyone one chance.

However, when a certain older brother strikes again, she lost it. On the second day of the trip, she was simply trying to relax. She was sitting on a sturdy tree branch, reading a book she had found. She was high enough that no one could grab her on their own, but low enough for that if she fell she wouldn't break her neck. At the rate she's going, no one would be surprised if she fell. Hikaru, being completely careless _again_, threw another curveball. Before anyone knew it, Celeste found herself in her own icy grave. She was so wound up in the book that she didn't pay attention to anything else and her equilibrium gave out. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the deep hole her form made. Hikaru's heart began to pound as Celeste crawled out. She was at such a pace that she resembled a frozen zombie. He tried to leave but Kyoya blocked his exit. Slowly, she approached the terrified boy. Everyone else was just watching to see what she would do. Even Kaoru was curious. Truly he was too nervous himself of what would happen to him if he stopped her right now. They could all sense a furious presence surrounding her. However, when she did reach him she did nothing but stand there. Kaoru watched her hands carefully as they balled up tightly. He knew it was because of him that she was holding herself back. After giving him a furious glare, she walked around him. Hikaru fell to his knees in relief that he wasn't mangled. Once Kaoru was done checking out his paralyzed brother, he also went inside. Didn't take long for him to find her. All he had to do was follow the sounds of muffled punching. He discovered her in her room. She was sitting up in bed, punching her pillow with all she had. Cautiously, he sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She gave him the same look she gave his twin. The look didn't frighten him though. It actually saddened him. He had promised things would get better and only the opposite has occurred. He could just tell that she wished she was at her home. He tightened his grasp on her and kissed her forehead. Eventually she did calm down. He knew that she was when she leaned into his chest. He became apologetic for everything that has happened. Strangely that seemed to have lifted her mood. It wasn't too long after that they were cuddly. Then things well... they progressed from there.

"Well, either way. At least you're in a better mood now," Kaoru responded.

"Heh... Doesn't change the fact that I still want to hurt your brother," Celeste spoke.

"Celeste..."

"Let me remind you of something Kaoru. For more than two years I've hated him completely, heart and soul. That's still a fresh memory for me. So when stuff like what happened happens because of him it's really difficult for me not to become angry."

"Thank you for not beating him up."

"You're welcome."

"Now come here."

"No."

She simply didn't want to move. She was so incredibly comfortable that she didn't want to budge an inch. She was lying on her front, opposite of Kaoru. Waist up she was lying on top of the boy. Her ear was placed right above his heart. Her right arm was interlocked with his left, with their fingers loosely hooked. Her left arm draped over his chest and he gently rubbed his fingertips on it. She was at complete ease. Moving a millimeter would completely ruin everything right now. Kaoru however, he wanted to move a bit. He unlocked his arm from hers and grabbed onto her waist. Lifting her a bit up, he pulled her up so that he could meet her eyes. He frowned a bit though when she was pouty. She couldn't stay that way for long now. He was too darned cute with that little frown.

"Hey Kaoru, din-"

Hikaru froze midsentence. Without thinking twice about it, he walked into Celeste's room. His stunned eyes met with her blazing ones. He easily read _get out_ from those eyes. Without another word, he shut the door. Right as it clicked, Kaoru burst out laughing. He wrapped his arms tightly around the furious presence on top of him. Instead of looking at him, she rubbed her head against his. She didn't want him even considering getting up. His laughter soon ceased but a smile stayed. He knew exactly what she wanted and he was happy to comply. By this time the sun was already set and neither were exceptionally hungry. They simply stayed by each other's side the rest of the evening.

* * *

Hikaru stared up at the ceiling. What he walked in on was annoyingly staying on his mind. He isn't close to getting used to her being in their lives and seeing them like that just made him uncomfortable. If he had it his way, Kaoru would be right next to him instead of sleeping with another. He came to the realization that if he didn't speak to her those couple years ago, none of this would be happening. They would have done the normal game of pretending to be the other and he would have rejected her then and there. But no, he had to be a hothead. True, he did apologize to Celeste for acting like a total ass. But whenever she separates him from his brother he can't help but despise her. Jealously completely enveloped him. Before being able to dwell deeper into his depression, there was a knock on his door.

"Hikaru?"

He recognized the voice instantly. He didn't really want to get up but he did so. After opening the door, he looked down at Haruhi. "What is it?" he asked.

"Honey-sempai made some hot chocolate. Thought you would like some," she said as he handed him a mug.

"Thanks," he replied, taking it from her.

"What are you doing back here?"

He shrugged before answering, "nothing really."

"Why don't you join us out there then?" When he didn't respond she continued, "I know you're lonely without Kaoru."

He sighed deeply then spoke, "I'm fine."

"You want to talk about it?"

He couldn't get himself to refuse. He did want to talk about it, but with Kaoru. With him being currently inaccessible however, she might do just as well.

* * *

Celeste woke up next day, completely comfortable. Kaoru's familiar scent immediately put her at ease. His voice puzzled her though. She looked over at him, curious of what he was talking about. He held his phone to his ear with his left hand while his right arm was wrapped tightly around her. She would have thought nothing of it if it wasn't for his eyes. They were filled with a terrible sadness. Concerned, she held onto his face. He ended the call soon after. Her curiosity grew as he crawled out of bed without a single word. He dressed at record speed. Just before he left the room, she called out to him. He looked back at her, seeing that she herself was concerned. He simply spoke his brother's name and she nodded. Just before leaving, he went back over to her. She sat up and held the sheet up to keep her covered. He pulled her tightly against his chest. She spoke his name again but he still didn't say anything. Once the moment passed, he kissed her forehead and left the room. For a couple minutes she just sat there, trying to figure out what happened with Hikaru. When she simply gave up she also got out of bed. Before considering doing anything else, she took a shower. In the mist of it, she couldn't help but take notice to multiple bruises all over her. She knew full well it was Kaoru's handy work but she couldn't help but think of him. She began to hyperventilate. Cutting her shower short, she threw on a robe. With blurry vision and shaky hands, she looked for her black bag. In simply wanting to calm down and not worry Kaoru further, she wanted to take her anti-anxiety medication. Problem is, it was nowhere to be found. Kaoru was the one who packed for her since she had stayed at his place that evening and had no access to her own clothing. The bag must still be at his home. Panic quickly took over her rationality. In just needing to hide, she crawled into the closet and curled up into tight ball.

* * *

Kaoru didn't know how much more he could take being the rope in this game of tug-of-war. Between Celeste and Hikaru he was simply ready to go insane. After talking with his brother, he found his girl passed out. Right now she's clinging to him, crying her eyes out. Not ten minutes ago he was in the same position with Hikaru. He had no idea what to do. She continuously apologized to him. He had no idea why she kept saying it, but it made him feel no better. He could feel even his own heart simply ripping in half. It took her quite awhile to calm down. When she finally did, he convinced her to get dressed. When she did so, the two left her room. They ignored everyone else there and they didn't bother messing with them. After their coats and shoes were on, they went outside. It was still early morning and so the cold was extra bitter. The two seemed to have simply ignored that. They just silently walked. They held onto each other's hand with a lose grasp that helped to at least keep them warm. They were both so deep in thought that they really didn't pay attention to where they were walking.

"Kaoru!"

Not paying any attention to his footing, he slipped right off the edge of the cliff. If it wasn't for the grasp she had on his head he would have fallen. Thanks to the grasp she also fell but just to her knees. A pain surged through her arm but she completely ignored it. She quickly wrapped her other arm around his shoulders and she pulled him up, using all the strength in her legs. Right when he was back on land, she held him as tightly as possible. He stayed absolutely still. Minutes quickly sped by as their heart rates attempted to return to normal.

"Cel-Celeste..?" he whispered in a very scratchy voice.

"What is it..?" she asked back softly, backing away from him to give him air.

"KAORU!" Hikaru shouted, running up to them. "Don't even consider it!"

Kaoru looked back at him completely shocked. As soon as he reached them, he rested his hands on his knees and caught his breath. Kaoru just kept watching him, not believing his ears. Celeste, well, it didn't take her long at all to figure out what was going on. Without saying a single word, she let go of him and began to walk back. The younger brother jumped to his feet and grabbed onto her. When she looked back at him though, his eyes widened. Her eyes read such a disappointment that would make anyone feel horrible. A few seconds passed before she turned away from him and continued walking. Hikaru went right to his side when he fell to his knees.


	11. Criminal

"You wanted to see me mother?" Kaoru enquired.

"Help me with this," she answered, eyes not once leaving a red material.

Quickly understanding, he sat down near her and began to do so. Time quickly sped by in the studio. The large room was incredibly quiet. The mother and son duo didn't share a word. Nothing that odd though with them both completely concentrated on the garment. They weren't surprised that when they looked over at the clock, more than an hour had passed. The young boy was about to take a look at the completed article, however his mother took it from him before he could. Curiously he watched her as she brought it to the other side of the room.

"Kaoru," her voice calmly spoke her son's name.

"Yes?" he responded.

"Celeste stopped by here earlier today."

"..."

"When were you going to tell me?"

"..."

Mrs. Hitachiin turned around, seeing Kaoru was no longer there. She couldn't say that she was surprised. After what Celeste told her, she was surprised she wasn't willing to do nothing but defend him. It was evident weeks ago when they came back from Honey's that something bad happened. She had attempted to get answers out of her elder son but he was just as tight lipped. It wasn't too strange for them to not always be talkative anyway. But, when a certain female is no longer around them it would only take a fool to not follow what was happening. The only thing she didn't know is what brought about the separation. She couldn't put fault in the young girl, even though her son was hurting. In seeing her just a little while ago, she could tell that she wasn't exactly happy either. In fact, she seemed downright miserable. She would answer questions either. She was there strictly in need for a new outfit for an upcoming competition.

"What was she doing here?" an exasperated Kaoru asked.

His mother looked over at the doorway, seeing him holding onto the frame. His breath was heavy and his back was hunched, obvious signs of him having just ran though his entire home. He looked for anything that Celeste might have left behind for him. None were to be found. Quietly, his mother walked right by him to leave. He curiously watched her as she walked away. His eyes widened when he took notice to folded paper between her index and middle finger. Right as he caught up to her, he questioned about it instantly. All she did was continue walking. Feeling completely desperate, he stood in front of her. His mother looked at him with a look that he knew instantly. If he wouldn't talk, she wouldn't either. With a deep sigh he gave in.

"A couple weeks back when we were all at Honey-sempai's place, Hikaru... he did something that he really shouldn't have done. I was with Celeste that night so I didn't know until the next day. He was really upset. He- he asked me to br-"

With a slap across his face, his mother silenced him. He stood there completely shocked before looking back at her. She spoke to him without a single stutter, "if you want her back, you have to change your priorities."

"Mother..."

"You hear me?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Okay then."

He glanced down at the paper in her hand just as she turned away from him. He tailed her as she made her way back to the studio. He stayed at the entrance, watching her. She picked up the garment the two made and walked back over to him. She handed it over, explaining that it was the reason Celeste was over. Carefully, he took it from her. His eyes never once left the paper in her hand though. Making him have eye contact with her again, she warned him one last time of his chances to get her back. When she knew he understood and put enough of urgency in him, she placed the letter on the outfit. Right after he got what he wanted, he walked away in haste. He went straight to his room and sat down on the bed. He was incredibly nervous of what she had written, but curiosity got him to open it up. In the process of unfolding, he took notice that there were a few pieces of paper. After taking in a deep breath, he began reading.

_Kaoru,_

_I want to say this first. Truly I love you with all my heart. I know that you aren't simply faking the emotion with me. But, what happened today... I'm completely amazed that you haven't found out why I reacted as I did. I know you're not stupid in the least. But this, you're acting like a complete idiot. I get it, I truly do. You have a strong bond with Hikaru that will never break, and it shouldn't. But if you're willing to break up with me just because he's upset then screw you. It really hurts to even consider saying that to you but if you're willing to drop me, you can fall._

"Kaoru?" Hikaru questioned softly.

The elder twin had been looking for his brother since he saw his mother doing he own thing. Now here he was, sitting on their bed. His eyes were glued onto the folded paper that was tight in his grasp. Stray tears slipped down his pale cheeks. Hikaru sat next to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"I hurt her..." Kaoru whispered the only words he could muster.

"... What are those other pages?" Hikaru spoke softly.

_Completely forget what you have just read. I was just being petty. Kaoru, I am so scared right now. Yes, that Masaru is finally in jail. What's happening now though is making him look like a freaking saint. That monster, he's like this for a reason. He has two brothers just like him, and worse. But the ringleader is none other than their father. It's sickening to think this but Masaru was like a shield separating me from the rest of his messed up family. Believe this or not, this is being written as you sit behind me. It's the only time I have to do anything undetected. Sorry if it's sloppy but I'm not looking at the paper as I write. I know you have noticed the item on my neck. Kaoru, it's a damned collar. I'm nothing but a mutt to them. If I don't do exactly as they instruct, they will heat it up with a remote they have. It's like anything else metal. As metal gets hotter, it turns red. That's why I need the outfit to be red. And it's not even just that. There is a camera on the front of this thing. They are constantly watching what I'm doing, which is why I can't look at these words. Skating is the only thing right now keeping me from completely losing my sanity. In just a couple days I'm going to a competition that they don't want me to attend to. I know the idea scares you but I just have to go. They are going to burn my neck, but that is all it is. It will hurt yes, but it won't damage me more than that. But after is what I'm truly truly afraid of. They're going to realize the collar isn't enough anymore. They will just probably kill me. I have no idea how to get out of this. I'm begging for help here. They told me right from the beginning that they would hurt, if not kill, all my loved ones. Karou, they know everyone's names and where they live. They know about Ageha. After what Masaru did to that other child I'm terrified of what these freaks would do. I'm used to be treated like a completely worthless piece of trash so I don't mind. I will not let anyone else get hurt because of this family. I'm only to the stage of begging because if they get to the point of wanting to kill me they will succeed and then go after everyone else._

Dead silence filled the room. Hikaru raised his head from his brother's to look at their friends. They all held a pale complexion, similar to Kaoru. Honey was on the brink of tears, Haruhi looked like she was ready to puke, and Kyoya, Tamaki, and Mori were in deep thought. Kaoru, he was a mix of all three plus. Hikaru doesn't dare let go of him in fear that he would look for her the very moment he does and get hurt in the process. Currently they were in the room Tamaki had lent Celeste. They knew that it was completely secure and that they could talk in there without any difficulty. Problem is though, after reading the second letter, not a single word has been exchanged. They all watched the young boy out of the corners of their eyes. He was on the brink of tears. In seeing her in school, he had to grasp his desk with all he had to stop himself from stopping Celeste from leaving. He was able to give her the outfit without any problems. It just killed him though. Just seeing her acting as she normally would when she was at his side scared him. He was completely ignorant about everything before reading her words. He just couldn't fathom how she was able to be so calm.

"Well, first things first," Kyoya broke the silence. "Have to get tickets for the competition."

"Here..." Kaoru barely got himself to whisper.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out enough tickets for all of them. They all took one and studied it. They were surprised to find out that the competition was the following day. They tried to come up with a plan. With the allotted time, they simply couldn't come up with one though. Even so, they would go. Some felt that there was a small sliver of hope that by just going, something was sure to happen. Kaoru didn't see that at all. He was currently in a new depth of depression. He could sense that she didn't want him to do anything and it hurt. He can't imagine what those freaks are doing to her this very moment. He could sense terror in every word she wrote, even if she didn't show it. He just wanted to find her and when he did hold her and never let go.

"DAMN IT!" Kaoru exclaimed, startling everyone.

He jumped out of bed and made his way over to the door. Right as it opened, it shut. He looked behind him seeing Mori. After making eye contact, the taller closed his eyes and shook his head. Completely frustrated, Kaoru couldn't hold back his fist that collided with the hard wood door. Everyone watched sadly as he sat down on the floor. Not even Hikaru approached him. He felt incredibly guilt ridden. He felt at complete fault for causing this chaos. He was told on multiple occasions by his brother that it wasn't his fault but that didn't change how he felt, not with how pained he was. When a smile crossed his brother's lips though, he couldn't help but be confused.

"I get it now..." Kaoru whispered light heartedly, looking at his quickly swelling hand. "That's why she punches everything..."

"Kao-chan..." Honey whispered as he whispered as he approached the wounded boy. "We'll get her back Kao-chan, okay?"

"I'm not worried about that..."

"Kao-chan?"

Clutching his throbbing hand, he punched the wooden floor as hard as he punched the door. Keeping his fist on the floor he questioned in disgust, "what do you think they're doing to her this very moment?" After a moment of complete silence he continued, "I witnessed what Masaru has done to her... I will never be able to get that image out of my brain... Now she sees him as a saint... What the hell are they doing to her..?"

The more he talked, the more obvious to everyone he was at his breaking point. His voice began to crack, his eyes became red. He rested his forehead on his knee. With his good hand, he grasped tightly onto his hair.

"Is there nothing we can do right now Kyoya?" Tamaki asked.

"Nothing," he answered.

"I need fresh air..." Kaoru forced himself to whisper and he rose back up to his feet.

Everyone watched sadly as he departed from the room. Hikaru, who couldn't bear seeing his brother in such a state, quickly followed him. The others knew that at this current moment that there was nothing else that they could do and so they each went their separate ways.

* * *

Celeste awoke to an annoyance beep that wouldn't cease. The fluorescent light directly above her made it difficult for her to open her eyes. She attempted to raise her arm to cover her eyes but it wouldn't budge. Panic quickly took over her senses and she remained absolutely still. When her eyes were finally adjusted to the light, she looked around frantically to see the hell she was in for. When her gaze landed on the resting Kaoru, her adrenaline vanished. Tears rapidly began to form. Reality wasn't too far away for her however. She was able to force her arm out of his grasp and she grabbed her neck. Her heart began to pace one more when she couldn't feel the collar on her. Despite the boy clinging to her, she sat straight up in alarm. While looking around frantically, she took note that she was in the hospital. However, that didn't matter to her at all. Her body began to shake when she didn't see her imprisonment anywhere. After forcing the arms off of her, she jumped out of bed. That was as far as she could go. When an intense pain shot through her dominant leg, she couldn't help but let out a cry. Not two seconds passed, Kaoru was right at her side. He picked her up and laid back down on the bed. Instantly, she began to fight against him. It was to no avail however. His arms and legs were around her with a vice grip.

"Please!" she begged.

"I'm not letting you go," Kaoru spoke strongly.

"You don't get it! As long as I did what I was told and the collar stayed on me they wouldn't hurt anyone! I have to go so that-"

"So that they'll kill you?!" he shouted at her.

"... What..?"

He tightened his grasp on her and buried his face in her hair. He could feel his throat tightening but he spoke anyway, "after your performance you passed out... Right on the ice... It wasn't long you were on a stretcher... I was already outside by the time you were brought out... Just before you were lifted into the ambulance, those bastards appeared... They had got a hold of you... If it wasn't for Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai... I don't want to think about it..."

"Kaoru..."

After sniffing he continued, "the police arrested them... They found countless weapons on them... The key was on them too... For that damned device..."

"How many guys did they catch?"

"..."

"Kaoru!" she spoke alarmed.

"Two..."

"Where's Ageha?"

"Outside in the waiting room with Hikaru and your family."

"Shit..."

"Kyoya's family police force is going to keep a close eye on everything until he's found. It will be okay." With a shaky breath, she rubbed her pale face with her trembling hands. He let go of her with one arm and grabbed her chin so she'd look at him. Once their eyes made contact he spoke softly, "you were beautiful out there."

"Screwed up my leg..." she muttered, lowering her gaze.

"Hey... It'll be okay. The doctor said that with what you had done, you should be a lot worse off than you are. It'll take some time to heal but you'll be able to continue skating." When she didn't respond he wrapped his arm back around her and said, "cry."

"Wh-"

"There's no need to continue holding back Celeste. It's just the two of us here. You can stop hiding your fear and sadness. Just let it out."

"..."

Gently, he ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head. Not two seconds later her defenses were completely shattered. Clutching tightly onto his shirt, she simply cried her eyes out. The two stayed like that until she fell asleep.

"How is she doing?"

Kaoru recognized Ritsu's voice. He didn't bother looking at him. He wanted to keep his eyes on the weak girl. Even so, he did explain everything to him. Her brother had to take a seat. Kaoru, he kept her family in the dark of what was going on. He didn't want them to worry more than they already were. Let alone the chance that they would do something to piss off Masaru's family and put her life at risk. But now, there was no reason to hide. They were going to find out the truth sooner or later. Ritsu forced himself to his feet and he approached the bed. Right when he sat on the edge of it, Kaoru sat up. He handed the resting girl to him just before getting up. He let him know that he'd get their parents just before leaving the room. In the waiting room he took notice to her parents instantly. They looked anxious. He walked over to them and let them know that it was okay to go see their daughter. They left the room quickly. From there, Kaoru saw Hikaru and Ageha on the other side. They were leaning against each other. They were both sound asleep. A small smile crossed his lips as he made his way over to them. Gently, he shook his brother awake.

"Hey, let's go home," Kaoru told him.

"Huh? Why? What about Celeste?" Hikaru questioned tiredly.

"She's sleeping again. Anyway, she's with her family now. Let's just go home and get to bed."

"Please..."

"Cel..." Ageha mumbled.

The brothers looked at their sister, seeing that she was still sleeping. They knew that she wanted to see her but now wasn't the time. Because of this, Kaoru carefully picked her up. Once Hikaru was ready, the three left. Outside, they could see the sun beginning to rise. Simply relieved that they didn't have to go to school, they went straight home and crashed.


	12. Confusion

Hikaru rolled his eyes as he stood up from the table. In disbelief of his mother's denial for losing their game, he left the room. He ignored his brother's amusement. For now, he had no choice but to wake the napping Ageha for dinner. As he reached the second floor, he could just make out a soft voice. He smiled a bit when he realized that it was his sister's singing. Following the small voice, he found himself at her room. Staring inside it however, he found himself confused. Ageha was sitting at the end of the bed, playing with the mysterious red panda. That sight he became used to the past couple of weeks. Just after Celeste went missing, the panda found its way right into his sister's room and stays right by her side. Speaking of the redhead, she was sitting at the head of the bed. Her head was lowered at such an angle that it was obvious she was sleeping. He could tell something was off about her, but could figure out exactly what. He didn't study her long anyway. He caught Ageha's attention and he told her it was time for dinner. Readily agreeing, she approached him. Before he could walk away, she grabbed onto his leg. When weight added to his leg, he couldn't help but smile again. Slowly he made his way back downstairs, making sure she wouldn't fall from his leg. Once he reached the dining area, she got off him and made her way to her chair. He took his place next to the already eating Kaoru. He couldn't get himself to eat though, at least not right away. He couldn't help but watch his brother. He was battling with himself whether or not to tell him about the resting visitor. It didn't take too long for Kaoru to notice. He just stared back curiously. In hearing him mention just her name, his eyes widened. Excusing himself, he stood up and quickly made his way upstairs.

Making a b-line for Ageha's room, he found Celeste exactly how his brother did. Silently, he made his way over to her. After sitting on the edge of the bed, he just stared at her. He was scared that if he laid a single touch on her, she would simply shatter. Even so, he knew that there was no way she was comfortable with her head hanging the way it is. Carefully, he lifted her up just enough so that he would help her lie down. Instantly she seemed uncomfortable. Frowning, he lifted her back up. Once examining her, he took notice to a tiny trail of blood dripping down from the dark brown bandage on the back of her neck. Simply concerned, he began to take the bandaging off. Just as it began to peel, he found himself trapped. Fear flickered in his eyes when he met Celeste's. There was so much rage in hers that he could almost see flames. Her hands were clasped tightly around his neck. With his mind going completely blank, he did nothing but just lie helplessly. Just as he began to feel faint, he could suddenly breathe again. Weight lifted off him as he gasped for air. When he was finally able to catch his breath again, he knew that she was no longer in the room. In just needing to find her, he jumped to his feet. He nearly collapsed when head rush shot through him. While catching his breath again, he heard a small cry. Knowing immediately that it was Celeste, he ran out of the room. He went straight to the staircase when he heard familiar voices. Halfway down, he saw his target. She was kneeling down, shaking like a leaf. What really surprised him, though, was that his brother was there. Even more so, he must have caught her before she fell too far. Right as she was stable again, she continued climbing down as if he wasn't even there. Right as she reached the ground floor, she made her way to the front door. Hikaru looked up at his brother shocked. Kaoru was still just standing at the top of the stairs, looking completely helpless. When the sound of the door slamming shut echoed throughout the mansion however, he snapped out of it. As quickly as he could without falling, he ran down the staircase. Right when his feet hit the floor, he booked it to the door. He nearly knocked down his twin in the process. In fact, he almost ran into the door instead of through it he's in such a rush. The daylight was nearly vanished but he had just enough of it to see that she was getting into her car. He sprinted over to her. He grabbed onto the doorframe just before she shut it, nearly crushing his fingers.

"Let go," she muttered viciously.

"Please don't make me..." he whispered weakly, while trying to catch his breath.

"I almost killed you."

"But you didn't..."

"What the hell does it take for you to just leave me alone?!"

Those words shot straight through his heart. His hand slid from the door as he fell to his knees. As he buried his face in her lap he begged, "don't go..."

Right away, she could feel his tears soaking in through her jeans. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she flat out told him, "you just don't get it."

Unable to hold them back any longer, he wrapped his arms around her. While doing so, he felt something extra on her waist. Having a horrible feeling of what it was, he looked up at her and stuttered, "Ce-Celeste..?"

Calmly, she pulled out a handgun she kept in her waist band. While looking at it she asked, "it's a gun. What of it?"

"Why do you have a gun?!"

"Because my knife did me no good."

"Celeste..."

"Besides, I'm starting to have suicidal tendencies."

Feeling completely sickened, he pulled her right out of the car and onto his lap. Before she could even consider escaping, he wrapped his arms and legs tightly around her. "I'm sorry..." he whispered. "Everything bad that has happened to you trail back to me... Without me in the picture you would have had a completely normal life..."

"Idiot... I couldn't imagine life without you..."

"Then why do you keep trying to push me away?"

"Because I am going crazy... I don't want to hurt you... If I didn't come to my senses before... I really would have killed you..."

"You can't hurt me more than pushing me away..."

"Just now was payback for what you did to me..."

"It's the least I disserve..."

Silence took over the two once again. After exhaling once again, Celeste looked up at the dark sky. The emotionally exhausted boy just kept his eyes on her. Her words were swimming in his head. He didn't want to believe that she was capable of hurting herself. Let alone doing more than that. The more he watched her, the more his chest retightened. Before more tears could spring, he buried his face into her hair. She gently rested her hands on his forearm. A couple more minutes passed before he could get himself to talk again.

"Let's go back inside..." he whispered.

"I need to go home," she responded.

"You're exhausted, I don't want you crashing and ending up with more than a broken leg..."

"Kaoru..."

"Just for tonight. Please."

"You don't leave me much of a choice, do you?"

"You really should feel better after a full night's worth of rest."

"I haven't been able to do that in weeks."

"I'll make sure you'll be able to, okay? I just want you to feel as good as you possibly can."

"Interesting wording..."

"Well?"

"Okay."

"Good. It's getting cold out here."

"And creepy..."

He stood up and helped her do the same. Just before she could reach back inside her car, he shut the door. After a pause she told him with a hint of annoyance, "my keys are still in there."

"I was scared you were going for the gun..." he spoke back.

"I kinda need my crutches."

"I'm sorry..."

After sighing once again she muttered, "it's fine..."

"You really don't want to stay here..."

"Well what choice do I have now?"

He looked away sadly as he answered, "one of our drivers can take you home."

"It's too late now, got school tomorrow anyway."

"Then come on..." he whispered as he made his way back to the front door.

When he was nearly at the door, he heard a small whimper. Frowning a bit, he turned around seeing that Celeste hasn't advanced in the least. She was just leaning against her car, shaking like a leaf. He ran right back to her, apologizing profusely. Right when he reached her, she clung onto his shirt. He could tell that her good leg was about to go out on her so he scooped her up. Her arms were instantly latched onto him. Not wanting to waste anymore time outdoors, he reentered his home. Hikaru appeared right away. The brothers talked for a brief moment. Celeste was surprised to hear that she and Kaoru would be sleeping in his own room tonight. She can't imagine him having his own room. After the discussion was over, the twins climbed up the stairs once again. Soon after they reached the new level, they separated into their separate rooms. Kaoru kicked his door shut behind him. Afterwards, he walked over to the large bed and sat the silent girl on it. When she looked up at him, he frowned a bit.

"With how quiet you were, I was hoping you fell asleep," he explained.

"Sorry..." she whispered.

He smiled faintly and kissed her forehead. Before backing away too far he asked, "do you want to change into something to sleep in?"

Wrapping her arms tightly around her torso, she answered, "no..."

"Well, I'm going to quickly change myself. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay..."

He kissed her forehead again. When he backed away, he made his way over to the closet. He grabbed articles to change into and entered the bathroom. Right as the door clicked shut, she lied down. She didn't really care to explore the room. Even so, her gaze drifted to the small night table right next to the bed. Reaching over, she picked up a frame. Her expression only darkened when she looked at the picture inside. The image was of her with none other than Kaoru. She can remember when this was taken. A little more than a month ago, she had been playing with Ageha in the overly sized Hitachiin backyard. They were just building little things in the snow. At least that was until snow went down her back. Once the moment of being frozen passed, she looked back in annoyance at the grinning Kaoru. Without even giving him a chance to run, she pounced on him. He didn't simply flail and fall backwards. He actually fell a couple feet into the snow because it's so light. She knew that she had to move asap to be able to get away from him. However, in knowing she would try, he grabbed onto her waist. In turn, she knocked a bunch of snow onto his face. He sat straight up, hitting her with the same ice crystals. She pouted lightly, knowing that there was nothing else that she could do. Not just that she was out of current ideas, but also he wrapped all his limbs around her. He just chuckled and rubbed his head against hers. Losing her fight to hold back her smile, she rested her head on his chest. Click.

"We need more days like that," Kaoru spoke up.

"Hmm," she hummed. He lied down behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Before something happened to it, she put the frame back on the table.

"So, why'd you cut your hair?"

"I can't stand anything touching my neck... Does it look bad?"

"Not at all, I just didn't expect it."

"He hates me, doesn't he?" she questioned quietly as she rested her arm back down.

"Who?"

"Hikaru..."

"Huh? Of course not. Why would you even think that?"

"The look he has in his eyes every time you leave him to come to me..."

"Ah, I should have guessed. But really Celeste, you don't have to worry. You saw how we were in middle school. Truthfully, I've always afraid of the time that he's going to tire of just me and go on his own way."

"Kaoru..."

He buried his face in her hair and tightened his grasp on her torso. "That's why, even if you end up hating me, I will never let you hurt yourself. I don't know what would become of me if I lost you both."

She had no idea how to respond to that. She didn't think he could possess such dark thoughts. In doing the only thing she could come up with, she rested her hand on his. He flipped his hand over and laced his fingers with hers. Not another word was exchanged. It wasn't long until they both were unconscious. They weren't out for long however. With Celeste screaming at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night, it would be hard for anyone to stay asleep. Kaoru had to force her to wake up. Right when she finally regained consciousness, after nearly half a minute, he turned on the small lamp on the night table. It wasn't too bright, but bright enough for her to recognize where she was and who's she with. Right when she looked over at him, tears simply streamed down. He lifted her up enough to cradle her in his arms.

"What the hell is going on?" a half asleep Hikaru asked as he stumbled into the room.

"She had a nightmare," Kaoru answered softly, not taking his eyes off her.

Groaning lightly in annoyance, the older brother sluggishly approached. Kaoru directed his gaze in surprise when weight sifted on the bed. "Oi, Celeste," he spoke, wanting her attention.

"What..?" she asked, keeping her face in her favorite twin's shoulder.

"I am sick of you making my brother worry. You got that friend of yours right? That physiatrist. You need to see her before you actually do lose touch to reality. Your main escape was skating right? With a broken leg you can't even do that anymore." When she didn't respond, he sighed deeply before continuing, "don't take me for an idiot. I don't know what you did, but I know you hurt Kaoru physically. If you keep up the way you are or just get any worse I can't guarantee I wouldn't hurt you."

"It's the least I disserve..."

"Go to your doctor Celeste."

Uncertain, she glanced up at Kaoru. Smiling faintly he told her, "I was actually going to bring up the same idea tomorrow depending on how you were after a full night's rest. If you're unable to sleep, you really do need to go."

"Okay..." she agreed, burying her face back in his shoulder.

"Good," he whispered back just after kissing the top of her head.

"What about school?"

"Don't worry about that," the twins answered together.

She looked back at them with a 'what the heck was that?' look. Despite being around them so often, she doesn't really hear them speaking together. Really only happens during school hours when she's trying to ignore them in the first place. They couldn't help but laugh. She pouted lightly but just reburied her face. She was just too tired to even attempt anything else. Just before standing, Hikaru ruffled both Celeste's and Kaoru's hair. She groaned in annoyance but didn't budge. The elder shook his head and waved to his brother just before leaving the room. Kaoru leaned back, taking the girl with him.

"Told you he didn't hate you," he spoke softly, pulling the blanket back over them.

"Hnn..."

"Don't let those nightmares take over Celeste. Don't forget that I'm right here."

"Go to sleep..." she mumbled.

After chuckling once more he answered, "yes ma'am."

"I love you..." she spoke under her breath.

He kissed the top of her head once more before replying, "as I love you."

* * *

Celeste woke up the following day with a start. She looked around frantically while catching her breath. When she realized that she was still in Kaoru's room, her shaking hands rubbed her face. Something odd stuck out to her while she did so. In the process of pulling a hair off her head, she unstuck a piece of paper from her forehead. As she rubbed her head, she unfolded the paper. Instantly she recognized Kaoru's handwriting.

_I just want to remind you to see your doctor Celeste. I already messaged her for you so she knows you'll be there sometime today. Everyone is worried about you. I got something to unlock your car for you, but I made sure they also took the gun out. You scare me enough without having something that would so such damage. Please understand. If you're willing to change your clothes, I pulled some out for you. I also packed you a few different outfits to take with you. I want you do be there as long as you have to. Those are already in your car. I'll call you tonight to see how things are going. Take care of yourself._

"Kaoru..." she whispered to herself, resting the note against her lips.

Looking over at the night table, she found the pen that he used. Flipping the note over, she wrote two words with the pen.

_Thank you._

She simply rested the paper on the table and looked down at the end of the bed. There she found the outfit he mentioned. Just to make him happy, she decided to change. It was a hassle with the cast that covered her leg knee down, but she was able to do it. When she finished, she limped into the bathroom to fix her hair. Right when she saw herself in the mirror she was disgusted. Her face was sunken in and pale. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her hair was a complete mess. She was very grateful to the turtleneck he selected for her so at least she couldn't see her neck. Not caring to fix her hair any longer, she quickly left the restroom. Taking quick notice to her crutches leaning against the wall next to the door, she made her way over to them. With blurred vision, she picked them up and left his room. Going down the stairs, she nearly fell on a multiple of occasions. Somehow she made it down with no real problem. Without exploring anywhere else, she left her second home. She threw her crutches into the backseat. As soon as she was in her car, she slammed the door shut. Just before she could race off though, she took note to the rose attached to the steering wheel. Tears streamed down. He knew that she wouldn't be stable by the time she reached this point. After taking a moment to calm down, she drove off.


	13. Cute

With a sigh, Kaoru knocked on a door. With no response, he allowed himself in. Right away he began to examine the small bedroom. He recognized the clothes that were thrown across the bed quickly enough. Everything else was completely organized. In taking note of the shut bathroom door, he realized that he had nothing to do but wait. He walked over to the bed and sat down on it. He blinked in confusion when he sat down on something that wasn't exactly soft. Standing back up, he pulled down the comforter. There her saw a plain looking spiral notebook. He picked it up and sat back down. Not feeling like he was invading privacy in the least, he flipped through it. He was astonished by what he found. Nearly all the pages were filled with formulas that if he even considered trying to figure out his head would surely explode. He had no idea that so much could go into skating. He only was able to get an idea of what it was for by the poorly drawn outfits on some corners of the pages. Before he could look at all of the drawings, he heard frustration from the bathroom. Putting the notebook down, he stood up once more. After making his way to the bathroom door, he gently tapped on it.

"What?" Celeste asked, obvious annoyance in her tone. Cautiously, he cracked the door open and poked his head inside. "Kaoru?" she inquired, completely surprised.

"What's wrong?" he asked back, for now sticking to the doorframe.

"I hate English, that's what's wrong."

Chuckling softly, he fully entered the lavatory. He didn't think much of her being in the tub since the water fully covered her. "Let me see if I can help."

"Please."

Keeping a small smile, he sat down on the floor outside the bath. He made sure to avoid the casted leg that was propped up on the edge of the tub. She handed him the book with her notebook and pencil. Nearly two seconds passed until he knew where she was confused. He explained what the problem was, making her feel like an idiot for not being able to figure it out herself. In a matter of ten minutes, the rest of the homework was completed.

"Your online work is completely different than what we do in class," Kaoru commented.

"That's because this is from Lobelia," she explained.

"Oh well, that makes sen- What, what? Lobelia?"

"Yeah... I transferred back."

"Why?"

"Not counting everyone I grew to trust before everything happened, I can't be near other males. I freak out."

"Celeste..."

"It's okay. It's not a big deal."

He pouted lightly before saying, "but I don't want anyone else sitting in front of me..."

"You know your attention is supposed to be on the teacher right? Don't worry about anyone else."

"I guess..."

"Silly boy."

Still pouty, he grabbed onto her dry hand and rested his head on it. Sick of him being that way, she splashed him. He froze. Seconds slowly passed for her when watching him stay so still. Having a horrible feeling he was plotting, she held onto him. It was only after the fact she realized by doing so she simply got him wetter. Even so, she kept holding him. She missed him a great deal since she's been here. Nearly two weeks have gone by. The only communication the two had was a five minute one in the evenings. Her psychiatrist was very strict with her schedule. Whenever she's over she's blocked off from the rest of the world. Sometimes she even sacrificed her call with Kaoru so that she could talk with her family. Even those nights, she would text him that she loves him. Right after however, he phone would be taken away. So now that he's in front of her again, she was overjoyed.

"You're too cute to stay made at," he admitted.

"Random question. Would you mind if I washed your hair?"

"Huh? Why? Do I smell?"

Laughing a bit, she answered, "I'm curious. I haven't seen your hair straight since middle school."

He shrugged saying, "you already got me wet. What's a little more water?"

Just in an overall good mood, she tightened her grasp on him and kissed his cheek. He chuckled and reached around to ruffle her hair. After a couple of seconds, she got herself to let go. From there, she eased his head onto the rim of the tub. Right as she began to wet his hair with the hand held shower head, he closed his eyes. She tried her best to contain the water to simply his hair. Once in awhile however, some did hit him. He didn't seem to really care though. He just kept his eyes closed. When his hair absorbed enough water, she shut it off. It didn't take too long to lather his hair afterwards. He let out a contented sigh while so was doing so which just made her smile. The most challenging part for her was getting the shampoo back out without completely soaking him. She used her hand as a barrier to stop the suds from at least getting on his face. Nearly finished with rinsing, she silently reached over and grabbed a hair towel she had placed out for herself. Right when she turned the water off, she attacked his hair with the towel. Knowing that she was just messing with him now, he picked up the unattended shower head and blasted her in the face. She couldn't help but just laugh. When he was able to get the towel away from her, he turned off the water. With the towel still in his possession, he rested it on her head in a way that it covered her face. She stayed still for a moment, staring confused at the moist fabric. Just as she began to raise her hand to take it off, she felt his fingertips on the back of her neck. She stayed absolutely still until something cold fell on her upper chest. She changed the direction of her hand from the towel to the small orange rose. Her not reacting at all concerned the gift giver. Cautiously, he grabbed onto the towel and took it off her head. He jumped when he noticed her watering eyes. Waving his arms frantically he begged her not to cry while asking what he did wrong.

"How do you put up with me?" she asked quietly.

"Huh?" he asked back, calming his arms.

"I've been nothing but cruel to you... You disserve so much better than a bitch like me..."

He couldn't help but smile and pull her over to him as best he could. With one arm around her shoulders and the other under her chin, he made her look at him before saying, "because I love you. The way you were acting before coming here, yeah it sucked, but that wasn't really you." Unable to hold back anymore, she leaned over and kissed him for the first time in over a month. When she backed away he asked softly, "hey, you wanna get out of there?"

"Yeah..."

"Would you like help?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not," he spoke with a smile.

Her eyebrow arched at the curve on his lips and she asked, "any chance to see me naked huh?"

"Eh?!" he exclaimed, his face instantly burning.

She smiled a bit as she said, "you're cute."

He could no longer keep eye contact with her. In order to get his attention again, she held onto his hand. With him still not looking at her, annoyance once again took over. She picked up the showerhead again and sprayed him saying that he needed to cool down. By the time he could take it back from her, he was completely drenched. Before doing anything else, he reached over and turned off the water. He didn't realize till after doing so that he pretty much had her now pinned against the wall. She studied his expression. It was a mix of annoyance with a pinch of pout. She was unable to not smile at such a face. With both hands, she attempted to smooth down his messy hair. He smirked and kissed her forehead. While his eyes were directed elsewhere, he picked her up out of the water. With his lips still on her forehead, he placed her down carefully and wrapped a large towel around her. Once she was covered he backed away. As soon as he did so though, she held onto him.

Resting her head on his chest, she whispered, "Kaoru?"

"Yeah?" he asked back, currently keeping his arms to his sides.

"You are an awkward boy."

"Ah shut up."

Smiling, she tightened her grasp on him. Looking up at him happily, she told him, "I love you."

"Even with me being awkward?"

"Especially because of that."

He smiled a bit before asking, "you want to get dressed now?"

"Yeah," she answered, letting go of him.

Bending over just enough, he gave her a kiss. Smiling a bit, she kissed him back before he went over to her bed. He was just going to sit and wait for her until he realized that she needed clothing to get dressed with. He glanced over at her, seeing that she was leaning against the doorframe. She simply smiled and waved at him. He shook his head and began looking through the mess of clothing. As he began to feel discouraged by how wrinkled the articles were, he found a small bottle at the bottom of the bag. He looked back at her confused and her smile widened a bit. Immediately, he could tell that it was some type of hot sauce. What about it took him off guard was the sleeve. In ignoring the lettering, he took notice to the tie-dye coloring using orange and blue. As he just stared at it, she limped over the best she could.

Sitting on the bed, she told him, "I found that just a couple days ago when I was out. I actually had to do a double take. I didn't believe what I saw." He stood up and held onto her. Squirming, she exclaimed, "gah! You're so cold!"

"It's your fault," he answered, tightening his grasp on her.

Pouting, she muttered, "I know..."

Increasing his grasp even more he whispered, "thank you..."

"Can't. Breathe."

He jumped away from her, keeping his hands up in the air. She shook his head at him but couldn't help but smile. She picked up the clothing that he chose, along with a couple other pieces to finish the outfit. On her way back to the bathroom, she stopped by him long enough to kiss his cheek. For a moment, he stared at the semi-closed door. He was brought back to reality when his phone went off. He took it out seeing that he's getting a call from none other than Hikaru. He sat on the bed just as he answered.

"Hey," Kaoru anwered.

"It's so boring here..." Hikaru groaned.

"What happened with seeing Mori-sempai?"

"He wasn't home."

"Well, I probably won't be back till tonight."

"... How's she doing?"

"A lot better. She should be home in the next day or two."

"You can actually sleep again then."

"Haha, yeah."

"What are you doing now?"

"Nothing now. Waiting for her to get dressed."

"Get dressed huh?"

"... Not for that reasoning."

Hikaru simply burst out laughing. Kaoru couldn't verbally respond. However, his expression became frustrated and his cheek bones flushed. Hikaru couldn't get a word out either because he just kept laughing. Celeste interrupted the teasing by poking the younger brother's forehead. Right when he looked at her, the phone slipped from his hand. His gaze was locked onto her. Completely confused, she kneeled the best she could and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she spoke into it as she straightened back up.

"What just happened?" Hikaru questioned.

"I'm not quite sure," she answered, poking Kaoru's forehead again but not getting a response. "He took one look at me and simply dropped you. Now he's in his own little world."

"Ah."

"Sounds like you know something I don't."

"Possibly."

"Care to share?"

"Nope."

"... Thanks..."

"No problem."

"I know you don't have school tomorrow. I can easily make it so he won't go home tonight."

When hearing that, Kaoru blinked back to reality. She had to bite her lip to stifle her laughter and listened to the elder as he said, "you wouldn't."

"Try me."

After muttering in annoyance at his defeat he told her, "most likely you're wearing something that he made."

"Really now?" she responded, looking down at herself.

What stood out to her first was the ankle-length skirt. The waistline was pure white, but as went down the color darkened. It was pure black at the bottom. What she really liked about it, though, was from the bottom up, dark vines were intertwined. That was the piece he picked out for her. The article that she just happened to grab was a think white sweater with black buttons on the sleeves. For courteous reasoning, she held the phone away from them when she bent over enough to kiss him. Completely awake to reality again, he pulled her down onto his lap. However, she instantly fought against him. Frowning deeply, he let go of her.

Standing in front of him she said, "Kaoru, you're completely freezing. Take that shirt off already and dry off. You can find extra towels in the bathroom."

"Okay," he agreed.

"I'll be right back," she said as she handed him back his phone.

"Okay."

After he took his cell, she made her way back over to the bathroom entrance. From there she grabbed her crutch and left the room. He checked out his phone seeing that Hikaru went ahead and hung up which he wasn't surprised about. With a sigh, he stood up. Doing as he was told, he went ahead and took off his shirt. Looking around, he couldn't find a place to put it so he went straight to the bathroom. He draped the shirt over a free towel bar to help it dry. After that he just sat on the edge of the tub with a heavy sigh. All at once, images of her before coming here appeared in his mind. His legs quickly became restless and so he stood up once more. Similar to a cat, he paced back and forth in the small room. He doesn't want to talk about it with her in fear that he'll greatly upset her. Frustration was rapidly growing within him. If he clenched his hands anymore his nails would break through his skin. Just before steam came out of his ears, a large towel landed on top of him.

"Baka," Celeste spoke softly. "I told you to dry your hair."

"I'm sorry..." he whispered.

"Come on now," she said, holding onto his hand.

"I can't help but feel so angry..."

"Here."

He looked over seeing that she was handing him a shirt. Curiously he asked, "where'd that come from?"

"Her husband. Just until yours dries."

"Thanks," he replied as he took it.

"The sooner you're ready the sooner we can get out of here."

"Huh?"

"Don't think I didn't hear your stomach growl and I'm quite hungry myself."

Smiling a bit he answered, "okay."

"Good."

"So, what exactly do you want me to do with my hair?"

"Oh yeah!"

"... You forgot?"

"Maybe."

His smile grew and he pulled her over to him calling her, "silly."

"That's what you are," she responded, holding onto him.

"Hmm... True."

"Kaoru... I know it's difficult, but please stop worrying about me. Hikaru, he called me a couple days ago. He told me you can barely even sleep anymore. He's worried to death about you."

"Then come back with me..."

"I can't. There are still too many things right now that would set me off. She won't let go of how close I really was to going insane."

"Then let me stay with you..."

Smiling a bit she said, "you know you can't."

"Then I'm going to keep worrying..."

"Stubborn boy..."

"Call me what you will."

"Sexy boy?"

When he looked down at her with an arched eyebrow, she couldn't help but laugh. When the laughter ceased, she moved her arms from his torso to his neck and looked up at him with a wide smile. He couldn't help but smile at hers and bent over enough to kiss her. When he backed away she let go of him and turned enough to grabbed a comb. Right after she started combing his hair, he let out his own chuckle. He picked her up so that she wouldn't have to continue balancing on one leg. She kissed his cheek as a thanks before continuing his hair. Since there was no real reason to stay in the restroom any longer, he left it. Seeing the bed as the most comfortable place, he went over to it and sat back down. By the time she was placed on his lap, she was already fixing the other side of his hair. It wasn't long at all until she finished. When she did, she backed away enough to take a look. A few seconds passed before she reacted in the least which just confused him. He only became more confused however when she put the towel that was on him over his head. Just before he could take it off, she wrapped her arms around it.

"Celeste?" he inquired.

"Best if you don't know," she answered.

"I can hear your heart."

"Can you now?"

"Celeste... You know I wouldn't force you to do anything, right?"

"Heh... You're just killing me here. It's not you I'm worried about."

"Huh?"

"Just let go of me for now okay? You still need to put the shirt on."

"Okay?" he answered, still a bit confused.

Even so, he did let her go. She got off his lap and grabbed her crutch. As soon as she was situated, she left the room once more. He stared at the doorway, thinking through how she reacted. He came up with a couple different hypotheses but couldn't pinpoint what it truly was. He looked at himself in the mirror, considering if he should just put his hair back to how it usually is. Even if that was the best way to go however, it would take too much time to do so. He went ahead and put the shirt on. He knew it was too huge for him even before he buttoned it up. Doing the best he could to fix that, he rolled up the sleeves and tucked it in. With nothing left to do, he left the room. In the living area, he found Celeste talking with her doctor. He couldn't make out what they were saying but didn't dare approach. His stomach was enough of a signal. Celeste couldn't help but laugh.

"Should I just go home to eat?" he muttered with an obvious pout.

"If you want," she calmly answered.

Frowning, he sat down on the couch next to her and pulled her over to him. She snuggled up to him right away. He called out to her and she gave in. She stretched her arm over to the small table at the end of the couch and grabbed her keys. In knowing she would stall, he stood up and placed her down on her feet. After grabbing her crutch she went over to the front door with him right behind her. After their shoes were on, they left.

* * *

Hikaru stared at the bathroom door puzzled. It wasn't until hours after the sun set that his brother finally came back. He seemed really irritated by something, but before he could question him he jumped into the shower. When he finally did come out, he plopped down on the bed. Hikaru frowned a bit when he saw that his back was covered in scratches. He questioned him about it but all the younger did was smile which answered that instantly.

"So with that happening, why did you look so angry?" Hikaru pondered.

After sighing, Kaoru answered, "we went out to eat and there was a guy that wouldn't leave her alone with me right there."

"What did you do?"

"Pulled him away from her without factoring in that he probably weighs more than the two of us put together. She pulled me out of there before he could do anything."

Frowning, the older brother held onto the younger saying, "don't get reckless."

"Exactly what she said."

"She like that necklace?"

Smiling a bit again, he answered, "yeah. Which reminds me..."

Reaching over to the pants that he just kicked off before, he pulled out the small bottle. Once he was no longer in threat of falling off the bed, he handed it to Hikaru. He couldn't help but laugh at what he was holding. Kaoru appreciated that, but what he truly loved was that he believed that he and Celeste were finally getting along with each other. He knew, even after the apology, there was great tension between them. He has a feeling that there always be some type of it but he doesn't feel like he's the rope in tug-of-war any longer. With those thoughts, he was quickly able to fall asleep.


	14. Competition

Hikaru found himself pleased which completely surprises him. Despite all the shit that has been occurring for nearly a year now, his brother was right by his side. Even now, the evening before a very important competition for Celeste, Kaoru was sitting right next to him. He's even to the point where he almost feels guilty that he's here right now, almost. It's not like they're doing anything special. They're simply watching a movie that they've seen a few times already. In fact, they were taking turns in the dialogue. The younger quickly lost interest however. Instead of repeating his favorite line, he rested his head on his brother's shoulder. Hikaru wasn't exactly tempted to ask what was on his mind. He was sick of hearing about his girlfriend.

"Hikaru?" Kaoru asked with a sigh.

In not having a choice, Hikaru responded, "what is it?"

"Am I someone that is easily taken advantage of?"

In not expecting that at all, he looked down at him confused and asked back, "huh?"

"Some random girl kissed me today right when you went to use the bathroom."

"Are you serious?"

He nodded before continuing, "I just froze up. She never even said anything. She literally just walked up to me, kissed me, and left."

"No wonder you were acting strangely..."

"Mmhmm..."

"You should tell Celeste."

"Seriously?"

"Why not?"

"She would make it a point to scar her for life and I don't even know who it was. It happened quickly. Really, I'm just bothered at the thought that it might become a common occurrence. There were others around that saw it happen and might get the wrong idea."

"You could always just admit that you have Celeste."

"That idea scares me more. If that happens I wouldn't really feel comfortable at the club after that."

"I don't know what to tell you."

He groaned lightly in annoyance before pouting, "I know..."

"You should tell her about it happening. In the very least it wouldn't be used against you."

"I gu-"

His words were cut off by his phone's ring. He continued to lean against his brother as he answered it. Not too much time passed until he sat up however. His expression became very serious. Even from there, he stood up and walked over to the large window on the other side of the room. He had to push aside the curtains to look out. After just a couple moments, he left the room in haste. Completely confused, Hikaru stood up and made his way over to the window. He was surprised to see Celeste leaning against the front gate. It wasn't too long at all until Kaoru was out there. By the time he reached the gate, the guard opened it enough for her to get through. It was obvious from his view that she was upset. It wasn't long until the two approached their home. Just before entering, Kaoru looked up at him. Sighing, Hikaru left the room. After climbing down the stairs, he found the two sitting on the large couch. He was finding himself curious of why she was there but also knew that she wasn't talking. In knowing a way to get her to talk however, he made his way to the busy kitchen. Avoiding all the chefs with ease, he arrived at the fridge. After pulling out three bottles of water, he left just as skillfully. Soon, he was back in the living area. From behind the couch, he handed them each a bottle of water. They gave their thanks as he sat down on the smaller couch. It was obvious that she was ready to talk, but right when she opened her mouth to do so a different voice appeared from across the room.

"Cel!" exclaimed Ageha. The little girl quickly made her way over to her and jumped onto her lap. "Where have you been?" she asked, holding onto the older girl.

"I'm sorry Sweetie, I've been really busy working on my skating," Celeste answered, holding her tightly.

"Oh."

"And I can't play right now. I really need to talk with you brothers about something I don't want you to know about."

"Well then... Can you play after?"

"Of course."

"Okay," she said as she jumped off the couch.

Right after Ageha left the room Celeste attempted to talk again, but again to be interrupted. A butler appeared saying, "dinner's ready young masters."

Just getting really frustrated now, the distressed girl let out a sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. Kaoru, very easily sensing that, turned back and answered, "we'll be there in a minute." After the older gentleman exited the room, Kaoru looked back at her speaking softly, "what's going on?"

Still grasping her hair tightly, she was finally able to answer, "my sister got out of jail..."

The twins couldn't help but reply together, "what?!"

She nodded before continuing, "after school today I found my room a total wreck. Everything fabric was ripped, all the stuff I had on my dresser and bookcases was on the floor... In the back corner of the room there she was, carving random shit into the wall with a damned knife... I begged my parents to do something, anything... Unless she truly strikes out again, there's nothing that can be done... I really didn't want to bother you two but when it started to get dark I panicked... She hid my keys... I blindly ran here..."

Kaoru had absolutely no idea what to say. All he could get himself to do was hold her as tightly as he could. Hikaru gathered the strength to stand up and slowly walked to the dining hall. He paused just long enough behind the couch to rest his hand on her head and say, "then let this place be your home."

She couldn't be more shocked right now. Her gaze was locked on where he had been just standing. He had left the room right after saying that. She was looking at nothing but a wall but still couldn't look away. Kaoru, on the other hand, was just beaming. He was just barely stopping himself from pulling her to him so that she could process her thoughts. When she was back to the waking world, she leaned back against him. Smiling, he adjusted his grasp on her. He went to kiss her forehead but stopped halfway when she winced. He let go of her immediately. She sat back up and rested her hand on the back of her neck. After a moment, she looked at it and was surprised when she actually didn't see any blood. As she was looking, he pushed aside her shoulder length hair to check out what caused her pain. Ignoring the scaring left by the collar, he noticed that a deep line was indented into her neck.

"You don't cut corners huh?" she asked softly.

"What do you mean?" he asked back.

"My sister... She grabbed onto the necklace you gave me and yanked it right off my neck. That damned chain took forever to break."

"How did she get out?" he asked softly, holding back onto her.

"It's only around me that she becomes a raving lunatic. She got out early with good behavior. It's making me really jealous of you again..."

"And I have something to tell you to make that worse."

She looked up at him and unwillingly asked, "what?"

"Some girl just approached me in the hallway, kissed me, and left."

"... That's not just some girl."

"Eh?!"

"She told me about it but I didn't want to believe it... Bitch..."

He raised her head and made sure to catch her lips. It was obvious to both of them that they wanted more of the other, but before anything else could happen their arms were grabbed. They both looked down at the impatient Ageha. She explained to them how everyone was waiting for them to show up so that they could eat. Giving into the young girl's whim, the two stood. With her leading the way, the three made it to the dining hall. After receiving the gazes of everyone at the table, the two apologized. Right when they sat down, the food was served. During the meal, the brothers mainly interacted with each other, the want-to-be sisters played little games, while the parents mainly observed. As the meal came to a close, the young girl could no longer hold back her yawning. Before she knew it, Celeste was left alone at the table with only the twins. Kaoru rested his hand on her back to grab her attention.

When she looked over he asked, "are you ready for tomorrow?"

Letting out a sigh, she answered, "yeah..."

"What's wrong?"

"I wish my family could go is all. With her home now, it's impossible."

"I'm sorry..."

She shook her head and after a moment passed she asked, "so what were you doing before I rudely interrupted?"

"Watching a movie."

"You want to get back to it?"

"It was pretty much over by the time you got here," Hikaru spoke.

"Oh."

"Is there anything that you want to do?" Kaoru asked the female.

"Stop thinking about my sister?"

A butler approached the trio and inquisited, "excuse me, Miss?"

She looked up at him asking back, "yes?"

"The madam wishes to see you."

"Oh! Okay, thank you."

The butler bowed slightly before attending other matters. Before he was even out of sight, Celeste bolted out of the room. The twins were thoroughly confused. They were tempted to go and spy on the women but really didn't want to get in trouble at the moment. In hopes to get an idea there, they made their way to the entertainment room. Together the two looked through their massive collection of movies, unable to find one that they have interest in watching. They weren't exactly in the mood to play any games either. Neither could erase what they had learned. The two just plopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh. Minutes of pure silence went by. Hikaru interrupted it by nudging his brother. When Kaoru was back to reality, he realized his phone was going off. Before even answering, they both knew that it was Celeste by the ringtone. It wasn't anything too different so that in public it would draw attention, but just in case something ever happens again he wants to hear a specific tone. Once he did answer, he spoke in a softer voice out of pure habit. Hikaru could easily figure out what they were talking about. She's going ahead and going to bed so that she'd be rested for the next day and is trying to convince his brother not to join her. Once convinced, the two wished each other a restful sleep. When the call ended, he reached over and wrapped his arm around his pouty brother's shoulders. While being leaned against, he studied his expression. He could easily tell that his mind was filled with all different types of thoughts. With his own sigh, he stood up. While doing so, he pulled up Kaoru with him. He then walked behind his younger brother and pushed his back. After a bit of resistance, they left the room. In no time, they were outside of his room. He turned the door handle and then just pushed him inside. Kaoru nearly face planted from the force of the shove. When he heard the door click shut, he looked back at it completely confused. He looked away when he heard a small voice behind him. On the bed, he took notice to Celeste sitting on the edge of it. She was completely motionless. Cautiously, he made his way over to her and sat on the floor in front of her.

She looked at him confused and asked softly, "what are you doing here?"

"Hikaru forced me," he simply answered.

"Oh."

"So what's with this long face?" he asked as he pinched her cheeks. Without answering, she reached over and pinched his cheeks. Laughing, he let her face go.

As she let her hands fall from his face she explained, "I called Ritsu to let him know where I am and she answered his phone. I'm sorry but I think I damaged your wall."

"Huh?"

"Behind you."

He turned around and looked at the wall in front of him. After a moment of studying it, he took notice to a small dent in the wall. On the floor he saw what made it. Reaching over, he picked up her phone. Right away he could see that the screen was cracked. Besides that it was still in working condition. When he looked back at her, he saw that her gaze was locked onto the window. She refused his offer to get fresh air however. Instead, she stood up.

"I'm going to take a shower," she told him as she walked over to the bathroom.

"Okay," he calmly responded.

Glancing back at him from the doorway she told him, "I'm amazed you're not offering to join me."

"You need your strength for tomorrow."

"... You've been waiting to say that haven't you?"

A smile crossed his face as he answered, "maybe."

She shook her head and entered the restroom. Sighing, Kaoru stood up and put the phone down on the small night table. In knowing he wouldn't leave his room for the rest of the evening, he went ahead and changed into his pajama pants so that he'd be more comfortable. After that he simply lied down on the bed, using his hands as a pillow. His mind began to wander. He had no idea what to do about the released sibling. When he didn't know it was her she kissed him. What would she do now that he knows? Even knowing all the shit she has done to her sister, he knows that he could never get himself to harm a female. He didn't want Celeste to worry anymore than necessary. He knows that deep down she wishes that her sister would have a miraculous revelation but they all knew the chances of that happening.

"Earth to Kaoru," Celeste repeated.

He blinked a couple of times before looking right next to him. The freshly cleaned girl was lying right next to him, using his arm as a pillow. He couldn't help but take notice that she was wearing one of his shirts. It was becoming pretty frequent for her to do so but he's always liked the sight of it. Taking his free arm out from under his head, he rested his hand on her cheek. Smiling a bit, she snuggled closer to him. He smiled just before kissing her.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" he asked softly.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Frowning a bit, he questioned, "how's your leg doing?"

"I'll find out. It's not going to heal anymore than it has."

"Are you really going to stick with what you said?"

"Yeah... Too much shit has happened. If something happens again I'm done with skating."

"Celeste..."

"So..." she began as she sat up. "I'll just have to not screw up."

"Hey... Where are you going?" he pouted as he held her hand.

After having to crawl over him so that she could stand she answered, "turning off the light."

He nodded and let her go. As she made her way over to the other side of the room, he reached over and turned on the small lamp next to the bed. Pure darkness does nothing but terrify the girl. The past while has been decently good for her but the damage has been done. When she flipped the light switch off, the smaller light left a dim glow in the room. He sat up as she made her way back over to him. She looked at him confused once she reached the bed. Swiftly, he swept her off her feet. Their eyes couldn't help but connect when she was suddenly straddling him.

"You, are so weird," she told him.

He laughed before saying, "I know it."

"You can read me like a book can't you?"

"Hmm?"

"You know that I'm getting nervous, don't you?"

He smiled a bit and ran his fingers through her hair answering, "yeah."

"I'm so scared something horrible is going to happen..."

"Hey... You've been practicing the routine for months. You're going to be perfect and we're all going to be there to cheer you on." When her gaze drifted away he pulled her against her swearing, "I'll find a way to bring your family."

She held onto him tightly saying, "I don't want her around you... She'll do anything to sabotage me and she'll see you as nothing more than a tool to do so..."

"I'll figure out a way."

"I love you so much..." she whispered.

"As I love you, that's why I want tomorrow to be perfect for you."

She backed away enough so that she could kiss him. When she backed away, she could no longer hold back her yawning. Chuckling, he lifted her off him and moved her right next to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and cuddled up to him. She ended up using his arm as a pillow again. Once he was holding her, she felt at ease enough to fall asleep. When he knew full well that she was unconscious, he looked down at her weaker leg. Even in the dim lighting, he could easily see the scar left behind from getting her leg fixed. He knew that she was truly worried about how it's going to react under all the stress that it is going to be but he didn't want to bring it up. He's conned himself in believing that she has a small limp now because of the whole ordeal. When he just couldn't stand it any longer, he forced himself to look away. He relaxed again when his eyes rested on her face. After kissing her forehead, he forced himself to sleep.

* * *

Tamaki sighed as he looked at his phone. The time is passing too rapidly for his liking. He's already been sitting for over an hour. There wasn't much time left. Looking down, he watched Celeste. She was pacing back and forth, looking incredibly anxious. She looked up at him which made him feel bad because all he could do was simply shrug. Honey looked up at his cousin sadly. Haruhi asked Kyoya the time. Without having to ask however, they all knew that time was running short. After this current performance, it was her turn. None of them could fathom where the twins were. What they did know is that if they didn't show, she would fall on the ice, hard. She was ready to breakdown in this very moment. When the music ceased, she reached for the necklace that was no longer encircling her neck. Her skin instantly went pale when her name was called. Not two seconds after that, she simply went backstage. Her friends were quickly finding themselves angry with the duo. So only naturally that is when they finally arrive. It was evident to all of them that by their appearances, they went through many trials to make it there. They were both hunched over, trying to catch their breaths. Sweat was dripping off their brows. Mori stood up and walked over to the exhausted twins. Without hesitation, he picked them both up under his arms and quickly left the stands. They kept questioning what he was doing but it wasn't surprising that he didn't answer them. After walking down a long hallway, he made it to the doorway where the group separated from Celeste before the competition began. Without giving them a chance to regain their footing, he pushed them both into the room. The boys couldn't help but groan when they face planted onto the hard floor. As they began to get up, they couldn't help but notice someone standing right in front of them. In knowing that it was Celeste, they quickly sat up and looked up at her, ready to get scolded. So, they were surprised when instead she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around their shoulders. She let her forehead fall down on their shoulders as well. Kaoru held onto her instantly. Hikaru, he was a bit more hesitant.

"Don't scare me like that..." she whispered. "I was so worried that she had done something to you..."

When the twins didn't say a word, she looked up at them alarmed. When the younger twin couldn't keep eye contact with her, she let go of the elder and held onto his face. He did his best to hide it, but couldn't hold back a small grimace. Her eyes narrowed and she held onto him tightly.

In seeing no reason to hide it Hikaru told her, "she pick pocketed us as well."

Before she could even begin to express her rage, an official approached her asking, "we're done waiting for you. Are you going to skate or forfeit?"

Kaoru spoke softly to the fiery presence around him saying, "don't let her take skating from you Celeste. Go out there and kick ass."

She backed away enough from him to kiss him. When she backed away, he stood up and brought her with him. Hikaru blinked in confusion when he got a good look at her outfit. The base color of it was orange, which was no surprise being there's always some orange in whatever she wears. What stuck out to him was the blue design that was sewn into the orange.

Glancing back at the puzzled boy she explained, "like it or not I've gotten used to you."

He smirked in amusement and stood up. Right when he was on his feet, Kaoru grabbed onto his hand and pulled them out of the room. They had to move quickly to make it back to their seats before she starts. Right as they sat down with the rest of their friends, everyone became quiet. The grasp on his brother's hand became tighter when he saw her in position. She was off right as the music started. The twins didn't watch her in the beginning however. They couldn't help but look at each other when they heard the vocals. After a moment they simply burst out laughing. Kaoru let go of Hikaru's hand and moved his arm so it was around his shoulders. Afterwards, they looked back at the quick girl. It was clear as day to see how focused she was. Every time her skates left the rink, nerves attacked the young boy. He's watched her practice parts of her routine but never the whole thing, and never did she let him hear the song. What he did know, though, was that she was saving her most difficult trick for last. The trick that broke her weak leg before. Half way through the performance, he was noticing something he didn't like. He could just tell other thoughts not concerning skating were running through her mind. The distraction led her to nearly falling on the ice with her next jump. He doubled his grasp on his brother as he became nervous. She made it through the rest of her performance without falling, but she wasn't nearly as sound as she was the first half. When all was said and done, she was completely out of focus. Everyone watched her concerned as she escaped the viewer's gazes. Kaoru wanted to find her and help clear her mind, but his legs wouldn't move an inch. When a hand was places on his shoulder, he looked over at the surprised Haruhi.

"Why aren't you going to find her?" she asked him.

"I don't know," he answered softly.

Letting out a sigh, Hikaru stood up. He offered his hand to his brother, but it was completely ignored. Shrugging, he put his hands in his pockets and went on his own. He walked calmly down the long hallway back to the dressing area. Right as he got to the door, it opened revealing a fully dressed Celeste. He called out to her but she didn't respond. Sighing in annoyance, he increased his pace so that he could block her from leaving the building. She blinked in confusion when she bumped into him.

He took off her headphones before asking, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Getting your stuff back," she answered.

"You don't have what it takes to play hero," he told her as her turned her around and started pushing her. When she dug her heels into the floor he asked angrily, "do you even think about what you're doing to Kaoru?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Growling lightly, he tightened his grasp on her shoulders immensely. When she let out a small whimper he explained, "he's at his whit's end. Give him a damn break."

"... I'm sorry Hikaru..." she whispered, obviously calmer.

"Come on now," he said as he let go of her shoulders.

She nodded and the two made their way back to the others. When they did arrive, they all looked at her surprised. Kaoru still found himself unable to stand up. Hikaru pushed her down onto the seat that he was sitting on and he took the empty seat next to that one. The silent boy reached over and held onto her hand. While grasping onto his, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for worrying you for the billionth time," she spoke softly to him.

"That's not what's bothering me," he told her.

She looked up at him confused, "Kaoru?"

"Why can't you understand?"

"Huh?"

His grasp on her hand tightened so much that he was hurting her, but she didn't let it show. He looked down at her angrily but spoke in a low voice so he wouldn't make a scene, "why don't you ever think before you act?"

"W-what do you mean?" she asked back, feeling incredibly intimidated.

"Damn it Celeste..."

"Let go..." she pleaded.

He looked down at their hands seeing that she was bleeding. He let her go and looked at his hand seeing that his fingernails were the culprit. Before he could feel too guilty, she rested her forehead on his jaw.

Whispering she asked, "can we get out of here now?"

After checking with everyone else, they all agreed that they were all ready to leave. It wasn't too long until they were all outside. There were two separate cars for the group and they decided to keep it that way. Kaoru tried to calm down by talking with Hikaru while the rest congratulated Celeste on how well she did. When she found herself alone, she cautiously approached the twins. They silently sat in their own car. Very awkward minutes of silence slowly passed by. It was so quiet in fact that when the girl's phone began to ring all three were startled. Soon after she answered it, her face lit up.

"Thank you so much," she spoke into the phone just before ending the call.

"What was that about?" Hikaru pondered.

She grinned before answering, "I got second place even with my screw up."

Kaoru jumped over so that he was next to her and held her tightly. She simply snuggled into his embrace. "By the way," the tired boy began. "What was that song anyway?"

Her grinned reappeared before answering, "Devil in Disguise."


End file.
